Respect thy sensei
by chuppa chupsz
Summary: Having slept, the cat gets up, yawns, goes out; to make love ... neither Ibiki nor Sakura are cats ... nor dogs, though they fight like cat and dog, disaccord: sensei VS student
1. On love and Barley

**Well ... I thought about an IbikixSakura thingy^^ since they are a complete crack pairing, and I just need something to get down a bit of stress and clear my mind for other stories as well. So ... here we go, I don't own Naruto and I don't own the poem, Matsuo Basho does.**

* * *

**...**

**_On love and Barley_**

**or**

**_The Beginning_**

**...**

* * *

Sakura cursed … of course she had to be put up with this … TREE! You couldn't even say it was a man … not even human, because damn it … this thing was just a tree … a walking tree, but a tree nevertheless! Even his name screamed 'From The Forest'! God gracious … and she was stuck with him.

"What was shishou thinking?" she muttered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Maybe you should ask yourself what she's been _drinking_ instead." The … talking tree … sneered as answer.

"Shut your trap, tree giant." She snapped back.

"Haruno …" UGH! She just _hated_ it when he was giving her that …

"Yes …" she sighed.

"Yes, what?" he queered.

"Yes … sensei." She growled.

"Good girl, you want a lolly now? Get back to work."

She growled lowly and stared back at the paper. Three weeks prior her shishou had decided to get Sakura to the last step of the 'hardass-package' like she had called it.

After she had surpassed her shishou in medical skills and had sucked out every knowledge of her shishou, the thirst for knowledge still hadn't stopped. She always found that there was something more … something she hadn't found out yet and so she was passed from jonin to jonin …

She had passed her genin days with Kakashi, meaning she had learned the basics from him, before she had asked Tsunade for being her master.

After Tsunade she had passed to Gai, for taijutsu. Not only her weakness but also the thing that interested her the most.

After Gai, she had passed on to Asuma: strategies. She found that Go or Shogi were highly interesting games; one was able to take out an enemy with completely simple moves that were at the same time unexpected or unseen. Asuma opened and ended a session with Go ... or Shogi.

After Asuma, she had been passed to Kurenai, who had taught her the fine differences in Genjutsu. She and the red-eyed woman had come along quite nicely.

And then … then her shishou had passed her on to Hayate, to Genma, to Kotetsu … everyone had been able to teach her one thing or the other. And her thirst was still not sated … she always wanted to know more. She saw the links in the techniques, but she wanted to know why they were there.

She had never lost her contact to Tsunade, since she had been taught besides her job as medic and assistant in the Hokage tower. Two times in the week Tsunade had been taking her aside. One time for politics and the other for a talk.

When the two had their 'talk', Sakura always told her of all the things she had learned, the fabulous techniques, the links she saw. But she wanted to know why the links where there, she started making up theories, threw them out of the window because something essential was missing, threw herself into research again until she had finally found it.

Three weeks … three weeks ago her shishou had announced one final step to her.

_**Flashback **_

"_Sakura … I think I found the excellent teacher for you." Tsunade announced as she took a sip of her sake. _

"_You did, shishou?" Sakura looked at her a bit confused. _

"_I think I did. He will be able to support your thirst for knowledge and he will also be able to use that clever head of yours with all those techniques saved inside." The Hokage tapped her former apprentice lovingly on the forehead. _

_Sakura smiled as her shishou tapped her carefully. Sometimes she wondered if her mother would have done something similar. She had never gotten to know her parents, they had been killed on a mission when she had been six. At the time she had been with Ino and only heard about it later. _

"_Who is it, shishou?" _

_Tsunade sighed. "That's the problem, Sakura. Not only is he a very strict man, but I believe also that he is the nightmare of almost every person in this village." _

"_Errrm … al … right?" Sakura tried. _

"_Listen Sakura. I will ask you now … and not a second time. Do you REALLY want to do it? And … after this answer there is no going back. Absolutely none …" _

"_Shishou … who is it?" _

"_I can't really tell you. Do you want to do it? I warn you, he is strict, he is … intimidating and he does one of the dirtiest jobs in whole Konoha. He's working in a filial with only … one woman. And he is a true devil … if you say no it's alright …" _

"_I'll do it." Sakura interrupted her shishou, who looked now with wide eyes at her. "See … this is a 'now-or-never-decision'. I take it. I've survived with a jumping, green spandex, I've survived fifty perverts … or was it fifty-one … however. I've even told Kurenai about __it__ …" _

"_You told her?" _

"_Unavoidable … we trained on genjutsu." _

"_I see…" _

"_So … what I want to say is that … devil or not, I'll do it. This is a chance for me, not only to be useful but also to learn … and that's what life's about, ne? You learn until you die, there's no such day where you can say: right now I've stopped learning. And if this opportunity is there, then I'll take it." _

"_You are to meet him tomorrow at five in front of the Hokage tower. You know the usual ritual, right?" _

"_Hai, shishou." _

_**Flashback end**_

And now … now she was stuck with the talking, tree-giant: Morino Ibiki. What the fuck had she been thinking.

_**See honey, that comes from being so eager**_

_Shut your trap, Kura._

_**What … you wanna tell me that's not the case?**_

_No … but it's alright. I'm gonna learn … it's important to learn. I want to be useful._

_**Honey … no offense but you've been 'learning' for the past ten years **_

_It's not bad … I'm also the only one who's been accepted in ANBU_

_**That may be true … but no one knows it **_

_I don't care about the others. The Hokage knows it and that's the only thing that counts. I want to be useful to my country. Since my team no longer exists …_

_**Right … Naruto is still training to become Hokage and Sasuke is still not back**_

_He will be sorry if he does come back_

_**Oh yeah baby …**_

She chuckled deeply before she went back on training. The training she currently received from Morino was an easy feat, one would say. It consisted in memorizing lists of names, ancient poems and stuff. She didn't see how it would help her – yet. She knew that there was always something behind seemingly unnecessary tasks; and she had gained the patience to wait until it revealed itself.

It had already been three weeks and she had found out that Ibiki wasn't _that_intimidating. Of course he was … gigantic and … well, a tree. And although he was very strict and disciplined his subordinates she found out that somehow it amused the man that she was talking back. Not even Anko dared to do so.

Damned … Anko. That woman would be the dead of her once. Not only her name alone made Sakura want to puke, but that woman lived up to it too. Anko Mitarashi … dango, dango, dango. That meant sweet, sweet, sweet. Sakura just _detested_ sweets, she couldn't stand them, couldn't see them … she couldn't smell them.

On missions where contact with the target was needed she was able to punch her hate for sweets down, but otherwise she just couldn't see them. Anko was a nice woman … really now, she liked her. There were only two things she really didn't … support about her.

_Number 1: Anko was a bitch_

And the woman didn't even give a damn about that reputation. If anything she used it. The woman would come to work every day, completely sated and satisfied and tell Sakura in her breaks about her newest captives … he sex-toys. And good lord … the suggestions she made … There was absolutely no man in her 'target-group' that she would not make suggestions to if she ever crossed their way – and believe it, this woman came around quite a lot. She even made suggestions to IBIKI for crying out loud!

That part about her was harder to digest, seeing as Sakura just didn't understand it, how one could just … need it that much. But she wasn't a medic for nothing, soon putting up the theory that Anko was just, simply put a sex-addict.

But god gracious, she had to be desperate if she was suggesting to MORINO! The shock was still sitting in Sakura's bones.

_Number 2: Her addiction to sweets_

Concerning this topic the two of them just were like yin and yang. Anko was able to eat them in tons! She came to work with her coat full of sweets, ate them during the first shift, returned home at noon with empty coat pockets and returned to the afternoon shift with full pockets. Only to return home in the evenings with empty pockets once again.

Sakura had heard that sugar helped to think better, but was _that much_ really still healthy for a human body to have? Really now! It couldn't be healthy anymore.

But Sakura looked over that fact … she still liked her.

Well … back to topic. Even if Anko was making suggestions, she would never dare to speak back to her boss. Sakura didn't give even a shit. She knew that she was more or less at Ibiki's grace, but she also knew that apart from the Hokage there was not really anyone who had such a knowledge of techniques stored in only her mind. She knew that even if Ibiki would throw her out, he would try to come back one day, and even if it was only because she was the quickest way to get to information.

"I'm finished, Morino … sensei." She added silently.

Calling Ibiki 'sensei' was something she thought of never getting used to. It was just so … strange, to call this gigantic being a sensei. She wouldn't have even thought it possible that he would take an apprentice … even less HER.

"Good, lollypop. Now analyze this nice text for me …" he instructed.

She had KNOWN it! She groaned inwardly before she closed her eyes and recalled the text she had just been reading.

"The Haiku as we know it today had been developed in the 16th century, when Japan had been closed off from strangers and the poets all had a similar background …" she began.

Analyzing a text was necessary to skill her in … well analyzing from the spot away. She loved literature, she really did and Haiku were exceptional … but she had a hard time to keep her thoughts together when Ibiki was trying to defuse her concentration – like he was now.

She was already used to him standing up in midsentence and walking behind her, where she couldn't see him. She was also already used to kunai blades or other weapons grazing her neck or even drawing blood from her as they broke her skin. He tried to put her under physical pressure to make her forget what she wanted to say.

Soft torture one could say.

"Recite it." He ordered suddenly … and so she did.

_From moon wreathed  
bamboo grove,  
cuckoo song._

_Summer grasses  
all that remains  
of soldiers dreams._

_Not one traveller  
braves this road -  
autumn night._

_Clouds -  
a chance to dodge  
moonviewing._

_Orchid breathing  
incense into  
butterfly wings._

_Spring - through  
morning mist  
what mountains there?_

_Autumns end  
how does my  
neighbour live?_

_Old pond  
leap - splash  
a frog._

She waited for other orders, but when none came she continued analyzing the poem. When she was finished he nodded – signaling her that she was released.


	2. Winter Days

**Many, many thanks to _softball91_, _TheRoseAndTheDagger_ and _Illegitimi_ for the incredible Reviews and also thanks to _TheRoseAndTheDagger_ for the ideas of the storyname^^ it helped my a lot^^ and I have finally a name^^**

**The poem used in this chapter is the beginning of "Winter Days", written by Basho, Yasui, Kakei, Jugo, Tokoku and Shohei.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Her wounds from the morning had already healed when she finally arrived at the training grounds. She smiled as she took in the familiar landscape. It wasn't the same with the stick-up-his-ass-Sasuke and the loudmouth-Naruto, she remarked a bit solemn but it would do nevertheless. Kurenai had taught her on how to get herself into an easily releasable genjutsu, in which she was able to fight herself.

Kura was already waiting for her on the other side – grinning menacingly at her. Sakura only looked at her. Kura was the perfect image of what she wasn't. Her inner self was a strong woman, a nice bust, long hair pinned up in a high ponytail with several thin tresses, gleaming green eyes and an incredible figure.

"Kura … sometimes I wished I would look like you…" Sakura sighed. Her inner only giggled.

"Be glad you don't … people would know what you can do."

And the fight started.

* * *

"What the hell is she doing?" Neji asked his friends as they observed the lonesome pink-haired girl that was fighting a viscous battle against no one.

"If I don't confuse myself it's one of Kurenai's genjutsus … you fight against yourself." Tenten evaluated.

"Pch …" Neji stuck his nose up. "Weak…"

* * *

After an hour or two Kura finally let her go. Sakura was smiling all over, she had been able to fight in every way, use all the tricks she knew … because if she personally didn't, well then Kura did.

Smiling satisfied she went to the hospital. Shizune was already waiting for her … she chewed her lip anxiously.

"Sakura-chan…" she began.

"What is it Shizune-san?" the pink-haired medic asked smiling.

"We have a special patient … he came back yesterday. Master Tsunade was able to heal him … but he refuses to take his medicine and … refuses to stay here … I … could you talk to him?"

Sakura was curious by now. There was no such patient who was to be looked after only by Sakura. Shizune was completely fine to tell them all and yell at them, bind them to their beds and – when needed – bump them into unconsciousness, to make them stay. But she only shrugged and took the small container with medicaments.

"Which room?"

* * *

207. Sakura looked at the door. Yup, this was 207. She sighed. There were some possibilities of patients that didn't want to stay – especially ninja … and even more especially jonin. That generation really had it with hospitals. And god … she knew what she was talking about. Being taught by almost every jonin had shown her, how they all detested the hospital. Couldn't smell it, were too 'blinded' by the light, were afraid of needles – who the fuck would have thought that of Genma … And among those jonin there was exactly one who wasn't like all the others, though he looked a lot older than all of them. She opened the door.

"Kakashi." She sighed and smiled warmly. "I see you came back from another A-class mission."

The jonin lazily turned his head into her direction and fixated her with his onyx eye as she made her way slowly to him and sat down on his bed.

"A punctuated lung, two broken ribs, a double broken shin and a completely wasted wrist … and you already want to go out. Sit up for me, big man." She ordered softly and helped him to sit up.

He hadn't said a word, but she already knew him. Not only had she been under him in her genin days, but she had treated him often enough in hospital to know that one had to give him time until he decided to talk. She gave him the time … and showed him that he was loved even if he came back from a mission as nothing but a living corpse.

"Nice jaw, Kakashi." She pointed out and carefully grazed the black spots on said body part. "Now open up that mouth of yours … then the medicaments will vanish and you won't have to discuss with me where to throw them."

Astonishing enough … he opened his mouth. She blinked once before carefully giving him the container and watching him swallowing it all. Then he lay down again, and she did too – cuddling close to him.

"You know … Morino is a freaking giant … a tree giant." She began. "I mean … come on … already 'Morino' means 'from the forest' … but please, oh please tell me why I shouldn't laugh over a man who's first name is 'snore'." She ranted on and felt his chest softly vibrate under her. "And then his so called soft torture … god … makes me ready sometimes how he just 'plays' with kunais, while I have to analyze a text out of nothing. But you know, Kakashi … I think that shishou was right … that man will be able to use me … I will be able to be useful, with or without the boys."

He grunted lowly.

"Hn. Of course you are one of my boys." She smiled. "But you are always away … just like them." She sighed. "I don't care though … no … that sounds wrong. I do care. But … it's not like I'm totally hurt. You all gave me space to develop myself … and I am proud of myself. And you know Kakashi … I love you. Not like _love_ but like … someone who had always been there for me when I needed him. You were there when the boys were gone, and you always come back … more or less."

He grunted again … this time a bit amused as it seemed.

"And I love seeing you patched up and I love having these monologues with you. Because … you listen … and because I know that you are alive and under good care. When I have these monologues with you, I can feel your heart beating just under my right hand that is resting just over your heart. And it keeps me going … it keeps you going … and a part of my heart is beating for you as well. And this is why you can never fail, Kakashi. And even if you may leave one day, you will not have failed, because … lord … I know that you gave your all to keep those save that you love. And you know Kakashi … they all know it, that you love them and that you want them save. They all know … you can't fail those."

She cuddled close to him once again.

"Tree-sensei made me remember countless poems … incredible long ones, ballades, haiku, outlandish ones … a whole load of them. It's to keep my memory … fresh. The newest one was from Matsuo Basho, _On love and barley_. It's beautiful I think … then again, Basho wasn't one of the masters for nothing." She shrugged.

"You know, Sakura … I got him … but the damn jutsu backfired somehow and fried me."

* * *

_In this tree-withering wind  
it's Chikusai  
that I resemble!_

_who is that, his rain hat sprayed  
with sasanqua petals?_

_getting the Master  
of the Crack of Dawn  
to build a brewery_

_a chestnut pack-horse  
shakes dew from off its mane_

_the narrow grass  
of Korea,  
its colourlessness_

_harvesting rice in the fields  
beneath diffracted sunlight_

He stopped reading and looked at her. "Which poem is it?" he asked.

"The first page of Winter Days. Authors are Basho, Yasui, Kakei, Jugo, Tokoku and Shohei." She answered immediately.

He nodded. "Good."

What the …?! Was that just a COMPLIMENT for the tree-sensei?! What was going on? Who had switched him out?!

_**Sakura, honey … listen, that's NOT and I repeat NOT our tree-sensei**_

"Who are you?" she asked immediately.

Ibiki looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. "What … am I not allowed to compliment my student?"

"Cut the crap. Whoever you are … you are NOT the snoring tree-giant."

The wanna-be-Ibiki in front of her first looked at her ridiculously before breaking out into laughter. That was it … this was not her tree-sensei. In a flash Sakura had risen from her seat.

"Well maybe you are …" she began. "It's only been three weeks, no one can know an iceberg like you in only three weeks, ne Morino-sensei." She chatted sweetly.

And in the same moment, where he looked at her – he was trapped in her genjutsu. She looked at him as he stared directly ahead and watched her genjutsu. He would have no chance at all … poor child who wanted to play. She pulled his hands together with chakra strings before sliding behind him and thinking of a way she could threaten him with his life … the liver. She put her hand just over his liver, before concentrating again on the genjutsu.

**"Who the fuck are you?"**

**"Haruno, we already sorted that out. I'm your sensei, so cut the crap and let me outta here." He sneered. **

**"Wrong answer Kotetsu." She smiled. **

**"What the hell?"**

**"See … Morino-sensei doesn't use the same … jargon, we could say. You have all your unique, little spleens that make me notice you … since I know you." She smiled and released the genjutsu. **

Kotetsu dispelled his disguise and looked to find her, but she was able to press her hand to his liver first – immobilizing him immediately, before she let him go with a sigh.

"Che …" she smiled. "Good to see you too, Kotetsu. Where's the tree-sensei?"

"Haruno, I expect more discipline." She heard the thundering words of her sensei, she bowed to him as he entered through the door.

"Hai, sensei." She obliged and smiled.

"Kotetsu, thank you. We won't need you anymore."

The subordinate in the gray suite bowed to his boss as well, before winking at Sakura with a sly smile and vanishing through the door.

Taking a deep breath Ibiki crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked down on the – still bowing – Sakura.

"You can stand straight, lollypop." He ordered and the candy-hair-colored woman stood straight, looking directly into his eyes without flinching back.

There were few people with the guts to do so. Even in the small group of his subordinates there were few. And there was only her who talked back and called him names. But it was funny. She had talent, she had wits and she had definitely the strength to make it.

Tsunade had come to him, asking him for a successor – which he did not have – and had proposed Sakura. At first Ibiki had thought of it as a joke but had soon found out why the Hokage had suggested her. She had the guts and the strength to survive in this filial.

"Time to make the game funny … don't you think so, lollypop?"

"Whatever you mean, tree-sensei."

In that head of hers were countless techniques, saved for her to know and use. She was practically 'unkidnapable'. Her thirst to know all the links was what drove Tsunade to suggest her to him, and he had to say that she was incredibly efficient in finding information and building up theories. She was also radical about throwing them away once again, if there was a detail that didn't fit … only to pick them up again, and see if the changed detail fit – like a puzzle.

"I mean, lollypop, that your snoring tree-sensei will take this all a level higher." He smirked menacing – not surprised when she only quirked an eyebrow and shrugged; that kid wasn't easily impressed.

* * *

**It's beginning ... it's beginning ... well ... this is only the second chapter, we'll see how it'll continue, ne? **

**Peace and love, **

***~chuppa-chupsz~***


	3. Asked how old he was

**TADAAAAA!!! The third chapter of my IbikixSakura-story^^ Big thanks to shadow-binder for the Review to the last chap!! **

**The Haiku in this story is by Kobayashi Issa and is called "Asked how old he was", also I don't own Naruto, but I own the idea to this story^^. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Asked how old he was**_

**or**

**_The next level_**

* * *

Alright … her sensei really was a bit … strange. Maybe very … extremely? Absolutely? Totally? Errrmmm … alright; her sensei was absolutely totally hundred percent strange. She was bound to a chair and sat in a dark cell – so up to now there was nothing too strange about it. He had already done that to her, to test her endurance. But since he had 'taken it up to a new level' she was anxious to know what would happen … and she already had a good idea of what would happen. He would torture her … for real this time. He would try to get information from her – and it was up to her to not let anything slip. Nothing at all.

He entered briskly – grinning menacingly at her, she stared defying back at him; the show was on. She didn't tense up, she didn't cringe only the slightest bit – he was familiar. But the seals he made were too … a genjutsu to put over another person. So … it wasn't him who would torture her. She knew that it would have been easy for Kura to shield her from the genjutsu, but right now she needed to be cooperative – she held Kura back.

But she wasn't ready for the person who would enter the cell. She almost dispelled the jutsu – Anko. She liked the woman, they were friends … so that's why he used the genjutsu.

Her analyzing set in: she was not to dispel the genjutsu, it was her secret and she couldn't allow to let it be known.

When she looked at the tree-sensei, he was leaning at the back of the room and signaled her something in the sign language.

Asked how old he was.

She deciphered. It was another Haiku from Kobayashi Issa, another Haiku master – her second secret. She closed her eyes for a moment to tell him that she had understood and then fixated Anko who was still standing in the door.

"So, sempai, what does he have what we need?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

Hn, of course he would transform her into a man – Anko would never hold back against a man.

"Bring him to talk. That would do it." He sneered. "As soon as he talks he will tell us his secret. You can go all out on him … he doesn't have his chakra anymore."

Sakura smirked inwardly, she didn't need chakra, she had Kura … that was better than chakra. Far better – Kura could protect her memory.

***

Anko was reckless, but Sakura didn't care. She didn't care about the countless wounds on her body, the broken bones in her arm, she didn't care about the fiftieth genjutsu she was caught in. She didn't defend herself, she didn't try to wind away. She knew it was useless.

Her wounds gave her nausea, the room started to turn, and she knew that she was puking, she could smell it, the wounds stung horribly, and Anko's voice was giving her the chills.

But she didn't say it – she wouldn't – she couldn't. This was lesser about showing the tree-sensei that she could do it, it was more about proving herself that she was able to keep it back.

And then she fell into unconsciousness, not a word left her lips.

* * *

She woke up when cold water was splashed into her face. She coughed a minute before she opened her eyes and was able to look around. She was … in a cell. Yo what?! She looked at the intruder – Kotetsu.

"Geddup prisoner, somebody's waitin' for ya."

Fuck! What the hell had happened?! Oh Ibiki … you will be punished for this. She didn't care about anything – this would stop now.

_Kura_

_**Got it, honey**_

Before she had even been able to stand up she had dispelled the genjutsu and looked at Kotetsu with grim eyes.

"Sa … SAKURA!"

He came running to her, as she almost fell down on the floor when making a step. Damn it … right, she had a broken leg.

"What the fuck is the meaning of this?" Kotetsu asked her while he pulled her up.

"Let's take it a level higher the tree said." She sneered. "Let's take her to a cell and bind a genjutsu spell on her, the giant suggested. And maybe letting her wake up in a cell is fun too, the snorer brought in. Get me the fuck to the person who wanted to see me."

"B-But …"

"Now, Kotetsu. I have a way of defying my enemies even when I'm in Kakashi-mode."

He grinned at her. Kakashi-mode was an insider-joke. It described the condition you were in when you had several broken bones and worse things … and still wanted to get out of the hospital.

"So … I should carry ya there?"

"Are you crazy, old man? You will help me walking … now let's go."

Sakura was brought to Morino's office … really not surprising for her. Also that it was five in the morning and that she had spent her free day in a cell being tortured. It was all no surprise … this was Morino we were talking about.

She entered hanging on Kotetsu's shoulder and a fiery look in her eyes – that bastard would pay for taking away her free day.

But when she entered the room it was enough for her to see his eyes bulge for a second, when he realized that she had dispelled the genjutsu. Anko was there … she nearly got a heart attack from the looks of it.

"SAKURA!" Anko came flying to her and helped her on the couch she had just been occupying.

Morino was grumbling and radiated a dangerous aura, but it was not as if Sakura cared.

"How did you do that?" he snarled. "Did you ask Kotetsu to take it down?"

"Che … as if I needed help, tree-_sensei._" She snarled back. God right now she hated him.

"S-Sempai … weren't w-we s-supposed to b-bring the prisoner here?" Anko asked frightened of what she had done.

"Surprise, surprise." Sakura snarled. "He made you torture me." She offered the shocked jonin.

"What?" the two looked at her detestable sensei, who only smirked.

"You still now the secret?"

"God damnit you bet, tree giant! I'm not as brainwashed as you are!" she yelled back. It itched her that she could still not free herself of the chakra depleting shackles – she hated them.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Lollypop. You knew that this would happen." He explained. "Anko … get her free of the shackles, she has two shifts today."

"Damned right, tree giant. I'm working … and you took my fucking free day yesterday."

As soon as she was out of the shackles she started healing herself with the little chakra she had. Damned, Anko had done a good job about breaking her leg.

"What was the secret?" he asked her suddenly.

"_Asked how old he was,  
the boy in the new kimono  
stretched out all five fingers." _She answered sighing.

"Good … you're dismissed."

Sakura stood up and went over to her new sensei to look him straight into the eyes, their faces were only inches away.

"Next time you do something like this, you will have to do it yourself. Because I will dispel the genjutsu … and as you witnessed, I don't even need chakra for it. Don't even think about pulling Mitarashi-san into this once again … you can be happy – if you can feel – that she's still working for you freaking giant."

* * *

She lay next to Kakashi again. The man was mostly healed – only his lung made problems and the medics didn't want to let him go just now.

"You look … used." He remarked when she entered the room.

"I was." She replied before she lay down next to him again.

Kakashi was like a big brother … only a bit better. He had taught her much more than a big brother could ever have. He was just better than a big brother – much better.

"What did he do this time?" he asked her as he placed an arm around her and let her lay her head on his shoulder.

"He made Anko torture me while I was under a genjutsu and put me in a prison cell … on my free day." She grunted. "Idiot."

"He made Anko torture you?"

"She didn't know it was me. I was under a genjutsu … and she thought I was just another prisoner."

"Great …" he offered sarcastically.

"Absolutely. You know … I see the sense behind it … and that's even more ridiculous than the exercise itself."

"There's a sense behind such thing?"

"Of course. I know much … he wants to know if I can keep my trap shut. Of course there's a sense behind it. It's just very, very tiring."

She fell asleep before she knew it, Kakashi's voice really was comforting. He would make a good match for Anko … if they only would settle down.

***

Sakura woke up in her shishou's office. Damn it … she had fallen asleep.

"I'm sorry." She said immediately as she woke up. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep."

"It's alright, Sakura."

She opened her eyes to see her shishou hovering over her, smiling down. She smiled back and tried to stifle a yawn – successfully.

"Shizune was relatively surprised when she found you asleep next to Hatake."

"Heh … I'm sorry …"

"Like I said – it's alright. After the last night I'm surprised you even showed up to the shift. Normal people would have just asked for a day off."

"You know how I am with the days off, shishou." She replied and slowly sat up. "So … why am I here."

"Because … I want to ask you if you want to pull back … from your post as his apprentice." Her shishou began.

"No, shishou. As much as I sometimes really would like to chop off his freaking head to make him smaller and as much as it takes some … insight to understand his methods, he is a good sensei. He doesn't hold back and makes no illusions. I will not back down … when I survive the snoring tree giant then there can hardly be anything to bring me down." She smiled.

"Alright … so tell me, how do you two not get along?"

* * *

**DONE! I'm pretty satisfied with this chap^^. Tell me how you like it, this is my first IbikixSakura story, I'd like to know if you liked it or not, or if I could do something better^^ so please, REVIEW!! **

**Peace and love, **

***~chuppa-chupsz~***


	4. In this world

**Hi guys! I'm so sorry that I haven't been updatin lately ... I have been going throgh some things lately ... I hope however that you like this chapter. Special thanks to _NynaeveIshizu_, _DarkIkari8520_, _shadow-binder_, _Silkisif_ and _tickledorteen_ for the updates and for remembering me to update... **

**Like always I don't own Naruto, but I hope you like the story nevertheless^^**

* * *

**_..._**

**_In this world_**

**or**

**_Useless_**

**_..._**

* * *

God … she was so through all that shit, she couldn't see it anymore. She really, really, really needed a pause. He had tried to get information from her every way possible, locked her into a cell, solitude for a week, no food, hell he even had a man sleep with her in order to try and get information from her. Two months of nonsense and torture.

She had enough of it; she was tired of it … and a tired Sakura is never good.

"Lollypop concentrate …"

_SNAP_

"FUCK IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"

You heard the snap? It's more like a 'switch' than a 'snap' … that's Kura talking.

"Haruno …"

"YOU THINK YOU CAN INTIMIDATE ME?! WELL I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU: YOU AREN'T INTIMIDATING AT ALL!!!!"

"Sakura Haruno…"

"SHUT YOUR TRAP! WHY DON'T YOU GO BACK TO THE WOODS WHERE YOU COME FROM?! WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO BACK THERE AND COMMAND THE FUCKING BUGS THERE!!!?!"

Whoa …

"Who are you?"

"Sakura Haruno …"

"You're not …"

_Damn it … Kura let me out_

_**You think that'll change something?**_

_Maybe … just let me out_

_**I can't …**_

_And why the fuck can't you?_

_**You're still too riled up … **_

_FUCK IT! _

"I am. I have pink hair, green eyes, you're calling me lollypop because I don't like sweets, you put me through physical and psychical torture for the last two months to see if I can keep my trap shut and god damn it … I'm fed up with it. You even made me sleep with a man …" she seethed.

"Anyone could have this information."

"They could, could they not? Well then … I guess it's time to show you how I broke the genjutsu in the chakra shackles, ne sensei?"

He scowled at her as she started glowing in a pink light she smiled while the real Sakura separated from the Kura body and materialized next to her inner.

"So now you're outer?" she asked Kura.

"Na … inside is much better."

Sakura turned to her sensei who looked at her with his usual analytical eyes. He looked for an answer and she would have to give it to him.

"I'm … schizophrenic." She admitted. "That is Kura, my inner self."

Kura glared at her sensei. "Fuckhead." She muttered before she touched Sakura's shoulder and vanished again.

"So … what exactly was that?"

"It's called another personality tree-sensei."

"Stop calling me like that, you have no discipline."

"Stop calling me lollypop." She offered.

"Never … how would you call a person with pink hair?"

"By their name, snorer." She answered.

"Where has your respect gone?"

"Respect is to be earned." She growled. "And really … you've done nothing to earn my respect."

"If you say so." He shrugged. "Anyways … I don't really need you. You're just a loudmouth. Don't come back again – as a schizophrenic psycho you're useless to this department." He dismissed her.

* * *

Useless. She punched another crater into the ground. Damn it – she wasn't useless. With a fierce battle cry she punched the ground again, taking down the trees around her. She had enough … if she was so useless why did she even still stay here, huh?

_**You're too scared to run away … that's why**_

And the sad thing was – it was true. She was too scared of what might happen when she ran away. Kakashi would be all alone in the bed and he would never forgive himself for having a second student who had abandoned the village. Tsunade … she would most probably drink so much sake that she wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between her slug-queen and Jiraya. The hospital – they would lose a capable medic …

"DAMN IT I _LOATHE_ FEELINGS!"

She punched another crater into the ground before her knees buckled and she fell onto the ground. She pulled out a kunai. Well if she couldn't find the strength to run away, then she might as well die in shame.

Without another hesitation she cut her thigh … the vein situated there would leave her to bleed to death much quicker than anything else could. Soon her world turned black.

Black was soothing, it was endless and beautiful. It was simple and yet so incredible overwhelming. Cold … she didn't really notice it. It was better to fall into the dark … the black that surrounded her.

* * *

"What happened?!"

"She cut her thigh. I found her half dead in the woods."

"Damn it … Sakura don't you dare leaving us. Don't you dare … what were you thinking … god, don't you dare … I swear I'll kick your ass if you do … don't you dare …"

* * *

Light … why was there light?

Heavy eyelids fluttered softly at the aspect of gleaming light. A dry voice groaned and a bed squeaked as the person sat up.

Sakura looked around – she was in the hospital. She fell back into the bed – damned. Somebody found her … Fuck.

Now she would have to talk to a psychologist and would be suspended from her duty for some time … great. Just what she needed.

Her door opened just as she rubbed her nose.

"Sakura." A relieved voice sounded through the room.

"Kakashi." She sighed relieved as he lay down on the bed and collected her into his arms. He smelled like always wood and sandalwood.

"What were you thinking?" he pulled her closer. "You shocked me …"

"He said I was useless. A … p-psycho." She whispered. "A-Am I … useless?"

"You are not! Kami please don't ask nonsense like that … please. You are not useless … you are one of the strongest konoichi … you are not useless."

She snuggled closer to him. "Thank you, Kakashi."

* * *

She had to stay in hospital until she was completely healed; Shizune took care of her. Kakashi came by every day, he couldn't see her like that.

Stupid tree giant … god damn it. How the hell could he say that she was useless … nonsense. Just because he couldn't see it …

* * *

"You know what happened to her, right?" Anko stared into her sempai's eyes.

"Lollypop cut her thigh, because she wanted to die. Only shows that she really is useless." He grunted.

"Stupid man." His subordinate seethed.

He looked up. He was used to Sakura talking back – but she was the only one. Anko was leaning over his desk.

"_You_ called her useless. Have you even the _glimpse_ of an idea what would happen if this woman – and _yes_ she is a woman – if this woman is to be gone?"

She waited a moment.

"I'll tell you _sempai._" She spit. "Hatake would get himself killed, the Hokage would most likely die of an overdose of alcohol, the hospital would be overfilled and we would lose at least ten percent of our shinobi, _you _could forget about a successor, because god damn it I'm not going to do this dirty job for all my life, let's continue …" she chirped sarcastically "the Kyuubi would go on rampage as soon as he comes back and hears that his _nakama _is dead, and now think of all the jonin that would be in a depression, because their student would be dead … that is more than ten percent."

He shrugged.

"She was right … you are a bastard. Let's see how you will get through our new prisoner without the help of her. You will be captured in his jutsu before you could even say 'fuck'."

She slapped a folder on his desk.

"I'm taking a week off. Have a good time, _sempai_."

* * *

_In this world  
we walk on the roof of hell,  
gazing at flowers._

She remembered when she sat on the hill with Shikamaru. While he was staring at the clouds she adored the sight of the flowers she loved so much before her.

The lazy jonin had been announced her care taker until she was able to go on missions again. She was surprised that she didn't have to go through the psychological torture – it surely had something to do with shishou.

Suddenly there was a presence behind her, one other than Shikamaru. She balled her fists.

"What would you need…" she seethed.

"Someone who can defy genjutsu in no time …"

"Pch … that's not me, ask an Uchiha, dumb ass."

"Too bad that the prisoner is one."

* * *


	5. This moth saw light

**Hey! Sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long! Here's the fifth chapter. Thanks to _minniemousemom_ and _shadow-binder _for the Reviews! I don't own Naruto, but please enjoy. **

* * *

**_..._**

**_This moth saw light_**

**or**

**_The almost last Uchiha_**

**_..._**

* * *

She almost doubled over when she saw him in the cell. The man behind her only glared at her, but she didn't care as she entered the cell with a carefree smile on her lips.

"Hi, Sasuke." She waved.

"Come down to the point, you know what I need."

"Of course, asshole" She smiled. "Information … you will get it."

And he was out of the room immediately, not wanting to get caught in the genjutsu of the young man, who had his eyes blindfolded. Sakura came close and took the blindfold down to look him directly into the eyes.

Crimson red met emerald green.

She only smiled as his tomoe began spinning and he tried to capture her in a genjutsu, she didn't even got caught in it.

"Use the opponent's momentum to hurt him." She whispered as she turned his genjutsu against himself.

"Tell me what you know …"

* * *

He sat in his office when she came back from the cell, a smile still on her face. She liked to torture as it seemed.

"How did it go?" he asked her.

"_This moth saw brightness  
in a woman's chamber--  
burnt to a crisp_." She recited for him.

He growled, he should have never taught her all those damned poems. She was using them against him … and Mitarashi already gave him enough of a headache.

"…" he glared at her and she smiled right back. "Lollypop …" he warned.

"He killed Orochimaru, but didn't succeed in killing Itachi … his brother didn't succeed in killing him either, which was why you found him. Team Hebi is pretty beaten up, the red-head Karin is pregnant from him, the big guy – Jugo – has problems with his inner monster and the sword collector Suigetsu managed to kill Kisame and got his sword … but the sword seems to be a bit against him and drains his chakra. At the moment they are five kilometers north from us, hiding in a cave, that's all. So … can I go back and be useless now, fuckhead?"

"No … I need you for a plan."

"Too bad I'm useless then … I have no idea how to put up a plan. See you in hell, sucker."

DAMN THIS WOMAN! He watched her leave his office with a carefree smile. God damn it, damn it, damn it! He growled. What the hell was she? He stood up. He needed her; now. He needed to get that freaking team and therefore he needed her. And Mitarashi was on her week off … fuck it.

"Lollypop …" she turned around when she stood in the doorway and heard her nickname being growled by none other than one Ibiki Morino.

"Don't you leave now that we freaking need your effing planning skills."

"Don't know what you're talking about, fucker. There's a Shikamaru Nara to your services. If you'd excuse me, I want to know some things."

He grabbed her arm and hindered her on leaving the tower.

"You're going nowhere Lollypop … one Nara doesn't know ANBU and he sure as hell has no whatsoever reason to lift his ass from his favorite hill to come down and help us."

"Listen. I'm useless and I'm only second choice, I can't possibly be as good as a Nara is. So let go of my arm, now, before I break it."

He quirked an eyebrow. She wanted to break his arm.

"Go on I'd like to see that."

She grinned as a wave of green chakra emerged from her and froze his arm in place as she crushed it from the inside. He felt every bone break once, twice and his hand fell limply to his side – he frowned at her as she smiled.

"See? I don't need muscles, I don't need to be big and I don't need to be useful to you. I'm proud of myself and that's enough. So … now I go and take on a new mission to find out some things and to be able to link some other things together."

"You found out something you didn't report." He grunted.

"I did. He has the Mangekyo sharingan. You only get that one when you kill your best friend." She answered and took off.

"The Kyuubi. DAMN IT!"

* * *

She raced through the woods. The last report of Jiraya came from Kirigakure. Alone getting there would take its time. Then there was of course no way that they would still be there … on the other hand there was no way that someone could miss the two perverts.

She was grateful to her shishou for letting her go on this mission. Not only was she able to get away from the torturous tree-giant but she could also make sure that Naruto was still alive. O god gracious let him be alive.

She hadn't found any memories of Naruto's death, but she knew from scrolls that those were erased by the Mangekyo as soon as one got them and only came back when the corpse was seen. Oh god gracious let Naruto be alive.

"Don't be hasty, Lollypop."

She stopped dead in her tracks and growled. No dear lord … not him too.

"What, not happy to see me?"

He appeared right in front of her.

"As a matter of fact, no I'm not."

"Too bad, I can't let my apprentice go on a field trip alone."

_Shishou!!! How could you?! _

"So all of a sudden you're my Sensei again …" she huffed.

"Lollypop … I never stopped being your Sensei only once."

"I wouldn't say that. You give a crappy Sensei."

"I never said I'd make a good Sensei."

"Why are you here? Want to see me while I kill myself now? It isn't enough to hear that I already tried it once? You need more satisfaction? You like playing mind-games with me so much that you just _have_ to continue?" she asked him sarcastically.

"I already told you that I can't let my apprentice go on a mission alone. On top of that it's one hell of an information and if it's true then we sit deep in the shit."

"Why? Because we don't have the monster on our side anymore? Because he's no use anymore?! You all think the fucking same about him!" she yelled.

"You know that we are in enemy territory." He queered.

"Fuck yes I know. But you know … that I made ANBU with fourteen, right? I got news for ya … I'm nineteen." She vanished in a swirl of petals.

"Don't even think you could flee, Lollypop." He growled before he vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

She arrived in Kirigakure in no time. Of course she knew that her wanna-be-sensei was on her traces, and so she wasted no second and made her way to the local strip club first. But as she was about to enter she was hold up by a big hand.

"Lollypop what do you think you're doing?"

"Ever heard of Jiraya?"

"Who hasn't … now what do you need of a strip club?"

"Shit-face … Jiraya writes Icha Icha … he has to get his inspiration from somewhere and Naruto won't say no. SO … I'm visiting the local strip club to see if the two have been here … which I'm almost sure of and whether they have left traces or not."

She yanked her hand out of his grip and was again gone in a swirl of Sakura blossoms.

"That woman … I have no time for a game of 'catch me if you can' … not even with the 'Black Blossom' … stupid name for an ANBU… " he growled before vanishing in a cloud of dust once again.

* * *

"A big man with white hair and a younger one with yellow hair and blue eyes … Yes, they have been here."

"Did they say where they would be going?"

"Taro Island. They wanted to meet someone there."

"Taro island…" Sakura repeated to herself. "Thank you."

She bowed to the man and left the Strip club. Outside she was eager to leave, when she felt her sensei approaching. But before he could even say a word, she dissolved into Sakura blossoms again.

He sighed – she really did evade him. That was just childish … he should just leave. Wait – stop, that was exactly what she wanted him to do! Oh great … what a pest. Taro Island … here we come.

* * *

She landed in the clearing. Something was off about it. The vultures were circling this clearing but there was nothing.

_**It's a genjutsu, honey**_

"Kai." She dispelled it.

And screamed …

* * *

He found her in the evening, she was whining like a dog and the tears were running down her cheeks. Left of her was a bundle of orange, right a bundle of white. It didn't take him long to realize, who it was. She looked at him and smiled.

"We need Naruto, right?" he nodded. "He's more important than I am …" she whispered and started to make seals.

He knew that she was Tsunade's apprentice … and that she had long but surpassed her shishou, but bringing a dead back from the life? That would need the Revival Jutsu and that one was …

"Stop it."

She just kept on doing seals as she started to glow green. Her hair started flying around her as the pressure got too much. The corpse in front of her started glowing green as well.

"Stop it, Haruno." He ordered, but she placed her hands on his chest.

"The only use I will have is in reviving him … I feel like Haku … I need a use … and he can use my life."

Her chakra started seeping out of her and into the body under her hands. The chakra started making a ball around her to protect her from the outside influences as she pumped all her chakra into the man's corpse. He watched her take her own life away to _serve_the village. Damn it. Not only would the Hokage kill him, the Kyuubi would too, Hatake would … damned why had he even said those words!?

She was precious to the village and he could really use a smart head like hers in his team … Damn it!

The boy's chest began to move, rise and fall with his breaths; but she wasn't finished yet. Her chakra flow got slower and slower and he knew that she was almost out of it. She called back the chakra shield and forced the chakra into her hands, where she let it seep into his body. The Kyuubi vessel opened his eyes.

"S-Sakura-chan?" he asked feebly as she smiled and pushed her last chakra into his body.

Smiling she looked at her sensei, before she fell to the side, but Ibiki was already steadying her. He looked at the Kyuubi.

"Do you know who you are?"

"Of course! I am Naruto Uzumaki!"

"Shhht. Boy are you crazy? We are in the middle of the forest and it's night." Ibiki scooped the young woman up in his arms and looked at her. She wasn't breathing as far as he could tell – DAMNED!

"Can you control your chakra? We have to get home." He ordered.

"Hai. B-but … what about Ero-sannin?" he pointed to Jiraya.

"Let's switch, pipsqueak. You take Lollypop and I take your Sensei."

"A-Alright."

* * *

**Awww! Sakura is so selfless ... and Ibiki feels guilty ... see what happens in the next chapter!!**

**... but please leave Reviews before you do so^^**

**Peace and love, **

***~chuppa-chupsz~***


	6. Writing shit about new snow

**HEY HO!!! Chuppa-chupsz back in town, yo yo^^ - alright, so well I'm back from my summer break with some fresh Ibisaku for ya!! Big, big thanks to _minnimousemom_, _TheRoseandTheDagger_ and of course and not to forget _shadow-binder. _what would I do without such faithful readers^^? **

**Thanks for the reviews and I hope you will like the chapter. **

* * *

**...**

**_Writing shit about new snow_**

**or**

**_The comeback_**

**...**

* * *

Ibiki groaned as he sat over the mission report. The Naruto kid was in the hospital, as well as Sakura – who was clinically dead. A vegetable they called her. She was dead, no chance that she would wake up ever again. It was worse than a usual coma …

He never realized how silent it was without her around … how restless he was. Sure she had been gone before, but before he had known that she was alive, he had been able to watch her punch craters into the wood ground. He had been able to call her back any time, but now she was not here. Why? Why had he said those words, god damn it?!

No one talked back to him, there was no one he could argue with, no banters, no candy-hair-colored woman that jumped around and grinned, no schizophrenic konoichi in his office to recite countless poems while he was trying to distract her.

He liked trying to distract her. She would start to talk slower to get her thoughts right, although she would never stutter. He liked grazing his sharp kunai over her slender body and draw blood, watching it run down her features while she was still analyzing or reciting.

"_Writing shit about new snow_

_For the rich_

_Is not art."_

He looked up from the paper and right into smiling, green eyes …

"Lollypop…" he almost smiled relieved … almost.

"Fuckhead." She acknowledged dryly.

She was wearing her usual attire and he could smell her cherry shampoo and her mint scented breath.

"When did you wake up, Lollipop?" he asked her.

"Yesterday evening." She answered in that dry voice again.

He knew that she was wearing a mask so to say. She didn't want to have to do shit with him. She wanted him to leave her at peace, but apparently that wasn't on the program so all she could do was give him the cold shoulder.

"Who did you just recite?"

"Kobayashi Issa; Japanese Haiku poet of the 18th century. One of the masters." She smiled.

"How the hell did you survive?" he finally wanted to know.

He knew it was highly possible that she wouldn't give him an answer, but she was clinically dead. He just _had_ to know how she woke up again. What brought her back?

"Kura."

He nodded. Her other self … of course. When one part was still alive she could still live. Interesting, though.

"She told me that a certain … fuckhead – as she put it nicely – came by to work."

Ouh … damn it. Well yes, he had been working in her room. It was much quieter than his office, when Mitarashi came storming in to yell at him what a stupid man he wasn't for letting her do that jutsu and what else did he know.

"Well, yes. It was much quieter in your room than in my office."

"Let me guess … Anko made your life living hell for it." She grinned again.

"Good guess. But Mitarashi made sure to make hell freeze over for what I did."

"What did you do?"

"I let you pull that stupid jutsu. And you came back as a vegetable – clinically dead." His voice was dark, but she only grinned.

"And?"

Fuck that woman! She knew exactly that there was something else. She just _knew_ it! Damned she would make the perfect successor.

"And for calling you useless." He finally ground out.

"Ah, but I still live." She grinned and then sat back on the chair in front of his desk, looking at him. "So … what can I do? I'm suspended from hospital work for some time … as well as from missions … so … you have me around for a month, before I am allowed to pick up on my normal life again."

He sighed and looked at her. "So I have a Lollipop lurking around in my tower for the next month…" he concluded.

She grinned broadly at him. "Prepare for your death, scarface."

* * *

She was dangling from the ceiling since half a day already and helping him to sort his folders from her spot out.

"I would first go after alphabet, then after year and then after the solved or unsolved ones." She proposed.

He shoved the folders around and she found it fairly funny to be the one hanging around – literally – while he did the work. That was until Kotetsu and Anko came into the office and saw her hanging from the ceiling, swinging back and forth with a huge grin on her face.

"Hi!" she smiled.

Anko quirked an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"He's testing my endurance again." Sakura smiled.

"Aa…" Kotetsu shrugged and looked at his boss who was buried in the folders. "Sempai, we need her for the Uchiha brat… He's not cooperating at all. The elders have no choice but to get the blindfold down and let him see the Kyuubi … but then again … he already killed his friend once, he'll do it a second time. So … we'll need Haruno-san." Kotetsu explained.

Ibiki growled and looked at his Lollypop hanging from the ceiling. She looked back at him and shrugged.

"You help me afterwards or I'll kick your ass, Lollipop." With a snip of his fingers she was free of the ropes and jumped down gracefully from the ceiling. Landing just right in Kotetsu's arms when she slipped on a folder.

"Ne, tree-sensei, I'll be back in no time." She smiled and was out of the office with the two as quickly as they had arrived.

He only shook his head and continued to sort the folders in alphabetical order. He hated doing this but it was necessary once in a year – and well, now was a good time, there wasn't much going on.

* * *

When Sakura re-entered the office of her tree-sensei she was surprised to see him sleeping in the middle of all the folders. She giggled silently, he looked normal when he was sleeping. Carefully she stepped over him and looked at the folders, continuing where he had stopped.

She was finished no time later, looking contently on the ranged folders and down on her sensei, who was still sleeping. She giggled silently, when she realized that he was not snoring.

She looked down at him and kicked him with her foot. "Wake up, scarface."

His eyes snapped open immediately and she smiled brightly. He looked a bit disoriented and she smiled a bit wider.

"You fell asleep – I finished ranging the folders."

"Ugh … I should let you torture more." he grunted. "Waking up to the sight of a talking Lollypop could scare the shit out of other people."

She giggled and stood up. "Well then … give me a list of victims." She answered playfully.

"God no; we would lose all our guests because of a heart attack." He mocked.

"At least there'd be a reaction." She countered.

"Now, now." He calmed her down and stood up. It felt better to be bigger than her. "So … what was decided for the Uchiha?"

"Duck butt is under curfew." She pouted disappointed. "I thought they would at least give him some years in a nice cell for freaking killing his best friend, but he said it was all planned and he knew that I would be able to revive him … he had a lame excuse. The thing is only that he can be a useful machine and so they forgave him and hung him a curfew."

Duck butt? The Uchiha? Wasn't she once his number one fan girl? His Lollipop really had developed. WAIT … WTF?! _His _Lollipop?! Alright, she was his student but …

"Hm." He grumbled.

"So … what are we doing now? Or can I go … scarface?" she looked at him with big eyes and he smirked inwardly when he noticed that she had to tilt her head to look him into the eyes.

"In fact … you can go BUT … we have a new case I want you to look at." He handed her a scroll.

"Yup. See you tomorrow." And with those words she was already out of the office.

Ibiki looked after her and shook his head when she waved smiling at his subordinates who all smiled and waved at her as well. It would be a pity if she would leave the tower – she brought a bit of life in it.

* * *

Sakura carefully read the scroll. There had been several murders around in the fire country. The victims were all special in a way, outstanding. And all were murdered on their twentieth birthday. She took out a map and hung it up on her wall. She took out several red pins and a black cord.

Going after the date of appearance she stuck the pins and finally connected them with the black cord. Every idiot would have done that. NOW she needed to see the pattern. She looked at the cord again. There! A … pentagram around Konoha?

The first just four kilometers north from Konoha, the second four kilometers south-east from Konoha, the third four kilometers west from Konoha … but it was already finished. Where could he? Of course! The intersections!

She took five yellow pins and pinned them to the intersections – five … ten … eleven tries to get him. She looked through the victims files.

Young women, twentieth birthday, special in a way … and all violated. She swallowed. Violation was one of the things she had never understood – it was not only pathetic but also so … low; unnecessary and extremely disgusting.

She looked at the locations – dark corners and a pub. Well … they would have some tries to get whoever it was … starting with the pub. She sighed and went through the victims files. Maybe there had already been similar occurrences – she would have to ask the scar giant about it.

* * *

**Oh my gosh, Sakura for one month in the tower around Ibiki ... will they rip out each other's throats? Will they content themselves with punching each other to oblivion? Read to see!!**

**Hope you review and don't let me down^^ - I promise to upload more often now!! **

**peace and love, **

***~chuppa-chupsz~***


	7. A bath when you're born

**Hey! It has taken me a (long) while to load this up ... and I shoot myself in the foot with that promise as well so ... yeah ... All I can promise is that I'll try to keep the uploads more regular from now on, but school's an asshole and things aren't that rosy... BUT, I still have a silver line at the horizon: and that is writing. So I promise that this one won't go discontinued !! **

**And with these words: enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

**_A bath when you're born_**

**...or...**

**_Searching for bait_**

* * *

Anko bit into the pink candy mouse and chewed. The sweet flavor on her tongue made her smile as she passed the coffee shop.

"Good morning, Anko." She heard a dark voice greet her.

The konoichi looked up, the pink mouse still hanging between her lips as she met the lone eye of one Kakashi Hatake. He 'tsk'ed smiling.

"Sweets for breakfast." He bent down a little and sunk his teeth into the mouse, before he pulled it softly from her mouth. Without her seeing it he already chewed it.

"Not bad. See you around, Anko."

He waved lazily and all she could do was stand there and blush about what had just happened. Still blushing she continued her way to the tower and made her way into her room. The pack of pink candy mice was placed forgotten on her desk when she started daydreaming about the soft tissue against her lips.

"Earth to Anko, please answer."

A familiar voice woke her from her dreams. Startled she looked up to meet Izumo Kamizuki's smirk. She scowled immediately.

"What?" she snarled.

"Aw … did the little dango kitten not get its' milk today?" he mocked.

"Listen up gate watcher, if I had a good start in the day or not is none of your freaking business. You came here; just tell me what you want."

"Yare yare …" he calmed her again. "Sakura and Morino-sempai wanted you in his office, since you're second in command."

"Thanks, Izumo."

* * *

"So you think he'll show up there…" she concluded after Sakura explained her new findings.

"It is most likely. Seeing as murderers of this kind follow their pattern … and I also think he'll put one just right in the middle. It is also possible that he'll start just a new one around another city. But that is mostly unlikely, seeing as he has already hung around sometime around Konoha. He'll want to finish what he had started."

Ibiki nodded, her words truly made sense.

"By the way, I wanted to ask if any similar cases are known." The pink-haired medic asked. "And if there are, we better clear them soon, because I'll be going back to work in four days." She informed.

What, already? The month was already over?! He hadn't realized it. The time with her around went by so quickly – like water flowing down a river. It had taken him some time to admit, but he really liked having his Lollypop around. But now it was almost over … he felt like pouting. Only that the one and only Morino Ibiki wasn't one to pout … so he didn't.

"Well … I don't think there were …" Anko tapped her chin. "A murderer of young females, all twenty you say?" Sakura nodded in affirmation. "No … nothing like that."

"So it's a first. Then he will finish his _piece of art_ for sure." Sakura continued. "We need to get to the pub…"

"We need bait." Anko interrupted.

"No need, I'm nineteen." Sakura waved it away.

"No way you're going to be the bait." Anko wanted to talk her out of it.

"It's better. We're not threatening a civilian's life, I'm throughout capable of protecting myself and I have immediate access to the files as well as to the information. I won't let you play with the life of a civilian, for this." She told them, the sound of her voice left no room for discussion.

_Well,_ he thought to himself, _she surely comes after her shishou in more than just her inhuman strength._

"How do you imagine that, Sakura? What if something goes wrong?"

"Then we won't have killed an innocent civilian girl, but have let a konoichi die on a mission. A konoichi who had been ANBU with fourteen and has killed enough in her life; we can't send a civilian on a mission." She explained.

Damned, why was she always reasoning? Why did she always find the right arguments? He grunted and if he'd have hair, he would have run his fingers through them … but he had long but lost his hair, leaving only a bald head adorned with scars from interrogations.

"Lollypop … that's a stupid idea, I agree with Mitarashi. We'll have another konoichi work as bait for us."

"And let her get killed? By the way the only other konoichi in my age are those of the Rookie 9 and _by heavens_ I _forbid_ you to even think of them." She countered vehemently. "They are my friends and the reason why I am here. To be useful, to protect them … besides: they have families that will be on your asses if you lose them."

"Which would be?"

"Hinata Hyuuga, no explanation needed, I hope." She stuck out her thumb.

"Ino Yamanaka. Not only the sole heir to the Yamanaka household but also promised to Takeo Hiduto – the fire lord's counselor. Don't even think about messing with her." She stuck out her forefinger.

"And the third." She wiggled out her middle finger. "Would be Tenten, who has no direct family … but you can be sure that her husband, Neji Hyuuga, will kick your asses into the next millennium as well as the rest of the Hyuuga clan – they are very protective of her."

She smirked at the defeated face of Anko. "So the only one who's there is me. I have no family, Tsunade will be destroyed when I'm not here anymore, but she's already training Naruto for the Hokage post, so it will be a personal problem. Hatake won't be able to go on any S- or A-class missions anymore once Naruto is Hokage and well … the two of them will be destroyed, but that's it."

She shrugged. "So … as you see … you don't have much of a choice."

It sure was driving Anko crazy. He could see it in her eyes. She liked the young woman too much to have her go on a mission like this. But she was right – in every point. They would have their asses handed to them if they took any other konoichi and she had good arguments.

"She's right. She's right and we will have no other choice …"

"We could always use a genjutsu on one of the older jonin … Tsunade will go on rampage if you're not coming back from that one …" Anko thought out loud.

"Hn. Who do you want to take? You already belong to someone who will hand scarface's ass to none other than a thousand birds…" she began; ignoring the small blush that had spread over the purple-haired konoichi's cheeks.

"And don't even _think_ of Kurenai she has a baby boy at home …" she seethed. "So … who else would there be … help me, I don't know the jonin as good as you do…"

"Ummm … there are no other female jonin …" the purple haired woman affirmed.

"Oh, really. Funny." Sakura remarked sarcastically, then she turned to Ibiki again. "Any other ideas, oh great tree giant?"

"We could place a genjutsu over one of the men…"

"Oh … well let's see. I'm sure Lee would make an incredible woman … only he would scare them away in the first five seconds and make them search another victim." She stuck out her thumb.

"Neji would pass even without a genjutsu, but you'd have Tenten, Hinata, Hanabi and the rest of the Hyuuga clan on your asses if something goes wrong." She stuck her forefinger out.

"Moving on." She took a sigh. "I want to see you make Shikamaru move his ass … and even if he does we would highly endanger our treaties with Wind, seeing as Temari really _does_ have a thing about him … not to forget he's the sole heir to the Nara family." She stuck her middle finger out.

"Choji." She stuck her ring finger out. "I really like the guy but they wouldn't even think about taking him when all he thinks about is food."

She stuck her little finger out. "Naruto? Don't even dare thinking about it, it's like you'd hand an Uzi to your enemy and tell him how to pull the trigger."

Bringing up her other hand she continued by sticking out her thumb again. "Sasuke. The duck butt wouldn't move his ass and even if it would be the queen of England falling on her knees. Besides, he's under curfew."

"Kiba." She smirked. "Well … you really _do_ know Tsume's temper and even if he's not a direct heir, Hinata will hand you your ass … and Kurenai as well. They boy's like her son. Not to forget … he always carries Akamaru with him and is a hothead."

"Shino." She stuck out her middle finger. "The guy just … couldn't. He's nice and decent and with the right genjutsu you could make a lovely woman out of him but … even if he hunts down the special ones … a woman with glasses, that hides her face in a collar and doesn't talk at all … won't be appreciated. Besides you'll have the Aburame bugs in your office for a century at least if something goes wrong and the sole heir to the clan is killed … remember Shino is everything that Shibi has left to live for."

"ALRIGHT, STOP IT!" Anko interrupted, before she could continue. "We got it … there's no one in the place of taking your place. It's stupid … it's fucky, shitty, damned but it is that way, we'll have to cope with it. NOW … we need a plan."

"Good idea." Sakura agreed.

Ibiki sighed. He hated to admit it, but his Lollypop really was the best person for it. There was no way around all this.

"We will have to post at this pub."

"Well … in fact it's a bar …" Anko looked at the two quirked eyebrows. "I come around enough." She caught herself again. "In fact it's a rather popular bar, not too big, but not too small. It has a dance floor in the middle and around it are booths. There's a second floor, only reserved for VIPs … just above the bar. From there out it's pretty easy to watch all the booths." She explained.

He nodded. "I see. So we will have to get up to that damned second floor and have a nice look at the rest … and we'll have Lollypop placed downstairs as bait and will have to have an eye on everyone who talks with her."

"What do we do if they choose another girl?"

"Highly improbable. BUT we'll have Kotetsu and Izumo at the bar. They'll look out for the ones at the bar, we'll have some in the crowd as well, who'll look out for the rest … Lollypop can look out for herself."

"Alright. Then I'll talk to the rest about it." Anko bowed briefly before walking out of the office.

Ibiki looked at Sakura. "You're sure of that Lollypop?" he asked her once more.

"Hn." She smirked. "I'd rather welcome the death surgery than to have to do it on one of my friends or an innocent civilian." She admitted as she left his office.

"_A bath when you're born,_

_A bath when you die, _

_How stupid._" He recited Issa quietly as he shook his head.


	8. That snail

**So yeah, I finally got to upload something again =D ... hope you like it!!!**

* * *

**_That snail_**

**...or...**

_**In the club**_

* * *

Ibiki looked at his student's attire as she let Anko handle her make-up.

"Hell I hate this stuff." She growled as the purple-haired woman applied the eyeliner.

"I know honey … we all know. And you _are_ a natural beauty, which is only helping us, but we need to have you dazzling for this one."

Sakura was sporting a black pleated skirt that ended mid thigh and left her long, creamy legs, which were placed in black high heels, exposed and free to roam. She was carrying a red strapless top that ended just a few centimeters under her breasts and a black mesh shirt over that. The dark and lascivious make-up Anko was applying wasn't really helping anything.

Kotetsu whistled as he entered the room. "Whoa, nice look, Sakura." He gave her an approving glance.

"Good thing I'm on your team, that way I won't have to listen to your flirting." She mocked.

"Awww … Sakura-chan." He faked hurt. "Anyways … the bar opens in ten minutes … so … we are on our posts."

Ibiki was still groaning about being given a place at the lower level. It wasn't as if he had wanted it, but his group had been able to get him on the lower level. His head had been aching and they had been whining and bitching until he had agreed. Not completely satisfied with it, because he wouldn't be able to see everything, but he felt a bit better in being near his Lollypop.

He had Sakura place a genjutsu over him – after Anko had given him red, curled hair and he had looked like a clown – and he was rather content with his look. Bald … though no marks on his face and his features softened; she surely had made a better job about it than Mitarashi.

* * *

It was horrible. The blaring of the speakers, the bad music – he was only lucky not to have to dance. Heh, one of the advantages of being the boss was being able to choose the job. Only if your subordinates were about to give you the hell of your life you're just going to give them what they wanted.

He looked at his Lollypop that was _dancing_ with the men in the crowd. If you could call it dancing; since when was foreplay called dancing? Well … he didn't care. Yes, damn it he did care … His eyebrow twitched when his subconscious kicked in and "helped" him to admit it. He didn't like it that there were men dancing with _his Lollypop_. If the poor pigs only knew that she could break all their bones with nothing more than the flip of a finger.

He smiled as she returned to him and emptied her drink – she came closer to him. When she placed a finger on his knee, she started writing on it, while she talked to him about something completely different. While he followed the conversation half-heartedly – just the way she lead it – he concentrated on the strokes on his knee.

Got A Target Person. He Is Watching Me Since He Came In. Izumo Served Him. Long Blond Hair. Brown Eyes.

She described him quickly as his eyes started searching for the man she meant. He found him rather quickly and found it interesting to catch the man staring at Sakura. He draped an arm around her and started writing on her shoulder.

Talk To Him. He Could Be A Normal One. Find Out What He Searches For.

She nodded and stood up smiling as she sexily walked over to the man, who hadn't let her out of his eyes for the last half hour. She halted next to him and ordered a drink.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" the man suddenly asked.

She looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, it's nice tonight. You?"

"Haven't yet found what I was looking for."

"Well … what are you looking for?" she asked in return and winked playfully at Izumo as she received her drink – good thing he knew that this was a sign.

"Let's say … 19 … and … something special. There's got to be a _something_ about her. Something unique, something outstanding." He began. "Could you help me?"

She smiled at him. "I don't know I have only my friend over there, but he won't be able to help you."

"A friend he is?" the man asked.

"I'd say … a friend with benefits."

"I see."

Sakura felt odd, calling her sensei and the master torturer of Konoha a 'friend with benefits'. That'd be like calling Kakashi a fling. Just odd.

"My name's Sakura." She smiled at him.

"Yatako; pleased to meet you." He kissed her hand.

She giggled a bit childishly and blushed. "Well … I guess, I'll get back to my … friend." She said. Having them on a line was always a nice idea.

"You can tell me at every time if you feel ready … for a change from your … friend." Yatako informed her and she smiled.

"I'll think about it, cutie." She winked and sauntered over to Ibiki again.

He welcomed her with open arms and she sat down right on his lap, hanging her arm around his neck and dangling her feet. He brought his mouth close to her ear.

"What did he say?"

She giggled and he smirked – damn all this roleplay she could see Izumo and Kotetsu throw her looks – and she placed her drink on the table to turn to him and straddle him. Bringing her hands up to his neck she bent forward close to his ear.

"Searches exactly for target person; a special something he calls it." She kissed his neck and massaged it carefully with her hands. "Calls himself Yatako, might be right or not. Has quite an amount of chakra … ninja if you ask me."

Slowly she grazed her teeth over his neck and wasn't surprised when she felt his rough hands run up and down her legs. The only thing that surprised her was that she was enjoying herself … very much so. She kissed up his throat and hovered over his mouth for a moment before descending.

Her mind was split and in a moment like this she was utterly thankful for Kura, who was able to hold up the 'conversation' with Ibiki, while she couldn't help but enjoy the kiss. His strong hands tangled in her short hair as his teeth grazed over her bottom lip and she parted her lips to let his surprisingly gentle tongue invade her mouth.

She didn't notice what she was writing on his chest with her fingers – Kura did luckily – but she enjoyed his big hands on her sides. She bit back a moan when his fingers brushed over her throat and her collarbone.

Why was this feeling good? Why did she want more of it? God, why did she let him do this?

His hot mouth kissed her throat as she arched her back slightly, spreading butterfly kisses over her exposed skin he nibbled on her collarbone.

"_That snail_

_One long horn, one short,_

_What's on his mind._" He whispered haughtily and she could feel his hot breath on her skin.

"Yatako's still watching…" she breathed carefully.

Ibiki had to bite back a smirk. As much as he wasn't normally showing ANY emotion, he loved it to have the konoichi – his Lollypop – be so responsive to him. As much as she was a headache, she was just attracting in a twisted kind of way.

He could feel every shudder she suppressed; hear every moan she bit back. And god he loved her responsiveness. It was like playing a guitar – he was able to bend her every way possible and he loved it.

"I know … how the hell did you come up with friend with benefits, Lollypop?"

"What should I have said? You're my daddy, my brother, my boyfriend? That would have scared him away, we need him on a line – and friend with advantages serves well for that."

"Hmmm." He hummed. "That sounds odd for you…" he noticed.

"Che. It's like calling Kakashi a fling." She admitted smiling a bit.

He couldn't control the slight tug on his lips as his mouth curled into a very, very slight, almost unnoticeable smirk. But she noticed and drew the new formation on his lips.

"He stopped looking." She explained carefully.

"Stay a bit, that way he won't know it was a set-up."

She nodded and kissed the slightly pulled up corner of his mouth, before she carefully and softly pressed her lips to his and this time it is so different from before. This time she didn't need Kura to take care of 'businesses'. This time she was able to enjoy the kiss wholeheartedly, and when she felt his gentle tongue brushing her lower lip she knew that he enjoyed it as well this time. God damn it … that was just wrong.

* * *

Izumo sighs as he throws the apron on the table; he was tired, god damn it he was extremely tired – a look at Kotetsu told him that his friend didn't feel otherwise. Smirking he grabbed an ice cube and stuck it into Kotetsu's collar. The man jerked up gave a startled cry before starting to wriggle and take the cube out of his shirt.

"Izumo!"

And one moment later he has the very same ice cube sliding down his back. He hears Sakura giggle as she sits down on the bar and stifles a yawn.

"Hey princess." He smiles tiredly at her and she returns the smile in the same manner.

"God … I really hate clubs like those … on top of that I start working tomorrow … no wait … today. God damn it." She seethed as she grabs an ice cube and pops into her mouth, where she plays with it.

Anko comes down from the VIP floor and sits down next to the pink-haired konoichi, leaning against her in the process. Absentmindedly Ibiki's "Lollypop" brushes through her hair, while she was still playing with the ice cube in her mouth.

"Isn't that cold, princess?" Kotetsu asks her.

"It is. Freezes my mouth." She admits. "But it keeps me awake."

"So … we have three targets as it seems." Hayate noticed as he joined them. "And the first one is the most likely…"

"Heh … the show you pulled for him wasn't bad either." Anko giggled in her tired stupor.

"You really had to make out with our sempai, didn't you?" Kotetsu teased her.

"Shut your trap. You heard my conversation with that guy and after that … well either I wanted to end up quickly as the next victim or I kept him on a line. That did just do that."

"And when he wasn't looking anymore?" Izumo probed.

"He could have looked once again by accident and would have known that it was just an act if we would have been fifteen kilometers far from each other. That was why …"

"Was it good?" A giggling Anko asked.

"Anko!" The pink-haired medic slapped her friend playfully on the strong arm.

"I take that as a yes." The purple-haired nin replied.

"You're insufferable." The younger one groaned.

"Had no sugar today." Anko shrugged as if it was an excuse.

"God damn it … and I'm your target? Why not get Kakashi instead?"

"He's the reason…"

"Bastard I'm gonna cut of his balls." Sakura seethed.

"I'm right with ya, honey." Anko agreed.

Izumo, Kotetsu and Hayate shivered. "Girls … don't talk about things like that when we're around that's very … insensitive …" Izumo tried.

"Sorry guys … but we have a sugar-deprived Anko because of a certain silver-haired jonin, we just had to make up a plan … that's all." Sakura assured them as she bit into the ice cube cracking it successfully.

"Alright, guys. We have to work on the information we got tonight." Ibiki came up, Sakura's genjutsu released he was in his normal attire again, he seemed much more comfortable.

"Lollypop, tomorrow morning no session, we have to clear the information and you have to freaking sleep."

"Yare, yare. I get ya scarface … I'll be around your ears at 6 in the afternoon again."

* * *

**TADAAA!!! The poem is one of Issa's I think ... I'm not quite sure though. **

**However, if you liked it, please review!!!!**

**Peace and love, **

***~chuppa-chupsz~***


	9. No sky

**Thanks a lot to _xDarakuxShitaxTenshix_ for the review to the last story =D**

**This took me sooooooo long to upload it. I am so sorry. Well, I'm set on giving you the whole story, so may it be regularely or not, you GILL GET the whole story =D, promise. So, anyhow ... the poem is from Kobayashi again. **

**Please ENJOY! **

**AND REVIEW!!!!**

* * *

**...**

**_No Sky_**

**or**

**_The Day After The Incident (?)_**

**...**

* * *

Sakura broke down. She was angry, she was frustrated and god damn it she was sad. An angry yell and the clashing of medical instruments told the subordinates of the pink-haired medic not to disturb or come close to the room she was in, in any way.

The pink-haired medic looked down on the girl in front of her. Damn it, yesterday had been her birthday … fuck it, it had been a lucky strike … she hadn't been from the village … not even from the country. She gripped the table in front of her in a vehement grip.

* * *

"Morino-san, I don't think it's a good idea to go in there right now." A medic tried.

"I have to get information on the victim so if you won't _let_ me in, I'm going to _find_ a way in." he threatened before he brushed past the man and barged through the door.

He was welcomed with a relatively destroyed and completely unorganized room, Sakura bowing over the corpse, no … she was falling.

Silently he closed the door behind him and watched her. The table in front of her was sporting new cracks on the rim – she had been gripping it too tight, there was no mistaking it.

She was on her knees and breathing heavily. Carefully he came close to her and released the table of her viscous grip. The arm dropped down next to her as she stared into nothingness.

"That was exactly the reason why we were there … that something like this wouldn't happen … that was why I agreed to be bait … and look … all of it futile … useless … she's lying just in front of me."

Carefully he helped her to stand up and made her sit down on the ground, away from sharp scalpels and the corpse. He sat down next to her and handed her a thermos can with tea. She took it wordlessly and opened it.

Ibiki was a master of torture and interrogation. He was able to make his victims talk without even using anything. He loved the psychological aspect of torture much more, talking to a victim and knowing that words could be so much more effective. He hadn't worked so long with Inoichi for nothing.

He knew the brain exactly, he knew its' functions and its' reactions. Sakura wasn't exactly stable at the moment, but she pulled herself together the best possible. She tried hard not to show her subordinates how shitty she was really doing and gave her very best not to let her emotions show. But he knew her … he knew his Lolly-pop. She was disappointed in herself for not being able to prevent it.

She gulped the hot liquid down and he shortly wondered how she couldn't burn herself – he knew that he had made sure the tea was _hot_. Maybe the fact that he spiked it should not be mentioned …

When she had calmed down she looked at the corpse again and sighed. Slowly standing up she leaned against the wall and then patted him softly on the head.

He let it happen, knowing that she needed someone to be strong for and well … he was the only one in her radius at the moment.

Without saying another word she started the autopsy, talking clearly into a recorder, as she made different findings. Ibiki listened carefully. The girl had been raped, before she had been stabbed with a knife right into the neck, at the skull base.

When she had finished she cleaned up and took a deep breath.

"Damn it …" she seethed again. "You know that we have only a limited number of chances to find him, right giant?"

He nodded his head and stood up coming over to her. He looked at the watch.

"Might as well come with me, it's 10 minutes past 6. By now they should have been able to clear out the folders …"

She nodded as she hung up her coat and left the room with him. The medics outside the room looked at the big man with awe as he came out _alive_ of the room. He wasn't even sporting a bruise!

As they stepped out of the hospital, Sakura stopped immediately.

"Right … it's December." She whispered as she looked at the thick snowflakes covering the already white soil.

"_No sky  
no earth - but still  
snowflakes fall_."

He hummed approvingly. The silent white was sailing down and as Sakura stepped out of the door completely and stretched out her hand some snowflakes landed on her and much to his surprise didn't melt until she shivered and exhaled.

"It's beautiful." She whispered. Then cleared her throat. "Sorry. We should get going."

He nodded and they made their way to the interrogation tower. He caught her smiling broadly at the children that were playing with the snow or sticking their tongues out to catch the snowflakes – but only when she thought he wasn't looking. A small smirk showed on his face again. She looked so … content when looking at the children.

When they arrived Sakura jumped up and down a few times to shake most of the snow off her clothes, while he only shrugged two times to get the stuff down. As soon as they were in the team room they looked at the sleeping figures. None of them had changed out of their 'mission-clothes' and while Ibiki looked less than pleased she placed a hand on his arm.

"They are no machines, scarface." She explained defiantly before tiptoeing over to the chart and looking at it.

Anko's neat writing concluded what they had found. She smiled at it and eyed a lone corner of the big room. She pointed towards it and pouted cutely.

"What if we … talk about this together and fill them in later?" she asked him.

He grunted … he wasn't pleased at all to have his team sleeping, but right now there wasn't really anything he could do about it … his student would punch him through whole Konoha. Annoyed he nodded and went to go over to the corner. She lifted the chart silently and brought it over to the corner, where he already sat down and shed his coat.

She skimmed his appearance for a moment. The long sleeved, gray uniform of the TI-department (Torture and Interrogation department) fit on his body and gave him a regal look. As if he was a general much less than a shinobi.

Without losing any time she sat down next to him and they went over the details the team had found out. At eight in the evening, they were nearly drowning in folders and files all around them. Sakura was slowly getting tired, but the information in front of her was much more important.

Of course the name Yatako had been a pseudonym … more or less. It was an Anagram.

"Takayo Minate." She sighed finally. "He already has payed for some crimes … minor ones though … no, wait. Three rapes. God …" she leaned away from the folder with a disgusted face.

"What is it Lolly-pop? Something to hard to digest for you?" he mocked her.

"He raped his own sister, fuck-face." She seethed.

* * *

Anko awoke when soft light splayed over her face. She popped her neck and opened her heavy eyelids. It took her a minute to realize that she was at her working place; to be precise in the team discussion room. She looked around and found Kotetsu lying on the table, Izumo had only placed his head on the table and Hayate had fallen asleep over his papers.

She looked around and found the chart standing in front of the black leather couch, a pile of folders and files around said couch. She could make out only two feet and by the looks of it they were her sempai's. No one else would wear those military boots … So where was Sakura-chan?

Carefully she stood up and stretched. A few more cartilages popped into place as she did so. A bit dizzy she straightened up and tiptoed around the table and towards the couch. Her sempai had been _bathing_ in folders! – she realized when she started counting them on her way there.

Only to forget the number, when she had reached her destination – the couch.

She swallowed.

She stared.

She blinked.

She pinched herself to make sure that she WASN'T dreaming.

But when she realized that she WASN'T sleeping, she wasn't dreaming, she didn't have a sugar shock, she was still sane, this wasn't a genjutsu … she couldn't help but stare.

_**There**_ right in front of her, on the couch, in flesh and blood, lay her sempai: Morino Ibiki, the head of the TI-department with only twenty, the demon of Konoha who didn't held a Bijuu, the most feared man in the whole fire country … and he was sleeping … with a pink-haired konoichi splayed on him, his coat draped over the two.

It was almost cute, she realized as she bit her thumb and continued to stare at them. That was until her mother senses kicked in and she went to get a nice breakfast for all of them. Of course none of them – except for Ibiki – knew about Sakura's dislike of sweet food. Not even Anko … but there were some things that this woman didn't know.

* * *

Izumo woke up when he heard two males chuckle. Very likely Hayate and Kotetsu. He looked up from his place and turned his head to see the two of them stand next to the couch and look. Slowly he stood up.

"Whad's so funny?" he slurred.

"Shhhht." Kotetsu shushed him and waved him over.

Interested in what got his friends so giggly he tiptoed over to them only to join them chuckling.

"Isn't it an endearing sight …" he commented a bit dryly.

"Che … wait until they see these …" Hayate handed him two Polaroid pictures of the scene before him.

"Damn it … when did you…?"

"Five minutes prior. Anko is getting breakfast as it seems." Kotetsu informed.

"Good thing, I could use some sugar right now."

While they were speaking they heard a silent rustling of plastic and turned their heads to see Anko – now in her usual attire. She pointed to her office and they all nodded, following her to their delicious … and incredible sweet … breakfast.

Sakura and Ibiki entered half an hour later. Ibiki wore his bad-ass expression again and the rest had to do their best not to giggle like crazy. Sakura instead was still a bit sleepy and when she stretched several cartilages popped. Hayate cringed, he never liked the sound. When the pink-haired woman looked through the breakfast and found nothing that wasn't sweet she tried it with coffee … only to find that that one was NOT sugar free. Result: a grumpy konoichi.

"God damn it …" she seethed as she tied her hair into a bun.

"Ohhh … poor Lolly-pop, nothing for breakfast."

_Oh, oh, Ibiki. You should know better than to piss off an already grumpy konoichi. _His mind warned him, but it was already too late, as she took down the lid of the coffee cup and poured the hot liquid over him.

"Shut your fucking mouth, asshole. At least I wasn't the one who passed out after five hours of working. Now if you need me, of which I'm sure you won't because you're a super maniac brain and know everything and I'm useless to you anyways, I'm at home and having _breakfast_."

They watched her storm out of the tower and looked at Ibiki, who still stared straight ahead. He had just been poured coffee on … by his apprentice none the less.

"Sempai … what about her?"

"She hates sugar with a burning passion." He deadpanned – still staring ahead. Damn it, the burns would hurt like a bitch. That WOMAN!

* * *

**So, well ... basically Sakura gave him trick since she didn't receive the treat after working for so long ... it's a bit lame and needs support of the next few chapters^^.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**Peace and love,**

**~*chuppa-chupsz*~**


	10. Don't worry spiders

**VOILÀ! The tenth chapter ... there are still enough to go.**

**Big thanks to xDarakuxShitaxTenshix, TheRoseandtheDagger and fierynightangel for the encouraging reviews =D**

**Here goes the Disclaimer that says that I don't own anything and that the Haiku used this time is by Basho...**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**.._Don't worry spiders.._**

**or**

**_..The key of Tihatu_..**

* * *

Still fuming, Sakura finally left to the training grounds, where she would meet up with the rest of the team since … what seemed to her like forever. She had no intention of meeting up with the duck butt again, but as far as it was for working off anger frustration or anything among those lines she was fine with it. She would punch him into freaking oblivion.

"Sakura-chaaaan!" she was glomped by a flash of orange.

"God damn it … Naruto." She seethed as she flew straight to the ground.

But try as she might she couldn't help but smile and giggle and hug him back, before she started tickling him.

"Punishment!" she cried and giggled with him.

"Sakura, stop being so childish … it's annoying."

"Geez duck butt, when is something _not_ annoying to you? Wanna spar?" she grinned menacingly, something she had picked up from Anko and Ibiki … more Ibiki than Anko though.

"Che … I don't waste my time with weaklings." He snorted.

"Well … if you think so." She shrugged. "Sai … Naruto." She called to the two boys. "I have a great favor to ask …" she pouted and they already knew what was coming.

"Could you make a two-one? PWEEEAAASE! I really have to work off some steam, that three giant pissed me off this morning, and his purple-haired assistant too … tried to give me damned sugar … berk … so … pretty please?" she made huge eyes.

Naruto sighed and Sai smiled his fake smile. "Of course … just please heal us afterwards … and take care of me, you just … restored me …" Naruto gave in.

"SHANNAAAROOOO! Thank you guys!" she beamed.

"Just get on with it already, Hag." Sai commented grimly.

Sakura didn't lose any time as she let the anger of the morning resurface again and stormed towards Sai. The poor man didn't even have quite the time to pull his brush, before he was engaged into a furious tai-jutsu battle. Naruto cut in, and the two of the boys fought against the girl that pushed all her anger into the fight.

Sai unsheathed his katana and tried to cut her down, while Naruto tried to sweep her feet away from under her, but she was quicker than that. She out-stepped Sai's kata and grabbed his arm in the same time in which she stopped Naruto's foot and threw them both into air.

She followed them quickly and punched them back into the ground, leaving small craters.

Smiling at one moment she was gone in the next, Sasuke couldn't follow her movements as she was in front Naruto in the next moment and knocked him down, when he tried to stand up again. And was already running towards Sai. He tried to move away, but she had replaced herself with a log and before he knew it he was stuck in the earth, only his head sticking out and his hands bound together with bandages, like Gai or Lee used them. He groaned as she charged Naruto once again.

"Come on, give me a fight!" she grinned and Naruto tried.

He made a thousand Shadow clones but one punch into the earth and she had got rid of them and captured the Kyuubi in a prison of boulders, which she bound together with chakra strings. He was unable to move.

She was about to yell out victory, when she felt an arm around her throat, she tensed for a moment, before she relaxed. Using the small room that had been given to her by that she threw her head back and into the face of her aggressor, before she grabbed the arm of him and fell to her knees, sending the adversary over her shoulder and straight on the back.

She was about to continue, when she looked into the eyes of her 'aggressor'.

"Izumo!" she called surprised. "What the hell are you searching here?"

"Ibiki-sempai called for you." He said softly and got back up.

Releasing Naruto from his bolder prison and helping Sai out of the earth prison she smiled menacing at them.

"Guys, please … give me a fight next time. If I have a sugary breakfast once more I'm going haywire. Maybe you should ask the duck butt for ideas, he has been watching the whole time through. Maybe he finds a supposed weakness. We try it out next time!" she called before she waved and turned to Izumo to get back to the tower.

"Damn it." Naruto coughed a bit. "She sure hates sugar … Morino-san made a wrong move in giving her a sugary breakfast."

"Well it wasn't really his fault …" a woman jumped down from the tree and landed in front of the three boys.

"Anko-san…" Naruto smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Business with the du- … Uchiha." She corrected herself in time and nodded towards the young man. "I hope you don't mind if we interrogate your brother a bit before you kill him, right?" she smiled sweetly.

"Wh-What?" Naruto looked at her as if she had just grown a second head.

"We got the older Uchiha and will be interrogating him. After that we will most likely kill him … since this young one isn't able to do so … By the way, she poured the hot coffee over Morino-sempai when she couldn't even drink the coffee because it was sugared." With that she vanished.

"She poured coffee over him?"

"THEY WILL NOT KILL MY BROTHER! I AM THE ONLY ONE TO DO THAT!"

"Why Sasugay? You already have the Mangekyo sharingan. And apparently you really aren't able to do it. By the way … you also can't break in because they will protect his cell."

* * *

Sakura looked at the man in front of her, Ibiki was standing to her right and Anko to her left, of course she was the one to look into the man's eyes again, she was the only one who could defy the sharingan – even the Mangekyo sharingan. Never show anything.

She didn't show a thing. Her body was hid in a gray coat and she only stared at him. She stared at him as he started yelling in frustration and as he spit fire out of his mouth to her. She only shielded herself with her chakra. He looked at her.

"Why …" he growled. "Why can't I get through to you? You used to be the weakest of them. You used to run and catch up with them. Why can't I even singe your hair? When not even my brother succeeds in defeating me, why do you SUCCEED!"

He threw another ball of fire at her and she put it out with her chakra shield. Not talking a word she came close to him and touched his hand – sending a bolt of chakra through it.

"Your muscles will degenerate from this moment on…" she stated coolly.

He started breathing heavily.

"Tell us what the Akatsuki planned." She ordered.

He winced but didn't say a word. She touched his hand another time and let her green chakra coat his arm, as she shattered every bone with it. He yelled out in agony.

"Tell us, Itachi. I can keep this up for forever. It doesn't even stop if you die, because I can revive you, solely to torture you again. I can break every bone in your body, shatter every bone, fix them and shatter them again. Imagine it for a moment. Felling this –"she squeezed his arm and made him scream out "– every day … forever … tell us, Itachi."

Her smile was sickening, as were the thoughts of what she would do to him, but she had to keep it up. And if it was only for the village. She just had to keep the façade up.

"Drop the façade, konoichi. You're weak." He wheezed.

"Am I?" she asked.

She knew that he was right … about the façade. But if your enemy found your weakness you had to make him believe that it was your strength.

"You're right … it is a façade." She started her voice getting low. She could feel Ibiki's eyes bore into her back. "It's a façade I have to keep up, because I want to see you _bleed_, I want to see you _suffer_, I want to hear you _scream_ for the rest of my life, _I_ want to be the one to make you scream, I will _enjoy_ everything of it, I will break your fingers … like this…" she smiled sickly as she broke his fingers earning yet another wheeze from him. She leaned close and whispered into his ear: "And I will enjoy every minute of it."

"So … what are they planning?" she asked as she grazed her hand over his ribs and broke them with nothing more than a soft flick of the fingers – his screams filled her ears.

* * *

"Where the hell is she?" Tsunade raged.

"M-Morino-san a-asked her to c-c-come …" Naruto stuttered in front of the great Hokage, who was just throwing a fit, because her best team member wasn't here at the moment.

Just as the Hokage wanted to throw another fit, Sakura entered through the window – the gray coat floating behind her as she landed right in front of the Hokage.

"Shishou, we have important information on the actions of Akatsuki." She bowed.

Tsunade assessed her former apprentice for a minute. The gray coat looked good on her and the new outfit – Anko's work, no question – under it made her look like the true konoichi she was. Wait … why had she even changed from her usual clothes?

"Report on the spot." She ordered.

Sakura turned her head to her team and looked at her shishou again, giving her the 'Are-you-sure-in-front-of-Naruto?'-look. Tsunade nodded and Sakura snapped back.

"Due to our latest informant we know that the Akatsuki hold the leader of Amegakure under them. Said organization bonded with Grass and Bird – we have reason to predict an attack on Konohagakure in soon future." She reported carefully.

"What else?" Tsunade knew that there was something else that her former apprentice hadn't spilled just yet.

"We … we also know that they have all Bijuus safe for the Kyuubi and are now searching for the Key of Tihatu." She reported.

"The key of Tihatu?" Tsunade jumped up; her eyes wide.

"Che, what a waste. Every child knows that it's just a legend…" Sasuke grumped.

Sakura answered instead. "The _key_ is the legend. In fact it is a person. They tell you as children or in books that Tihatu gave the key his life so it could restore balance instead of being used as weapon.

Tanaka Tihatu died in the process and the key was brought to a temple where it was praised every day."

The three young men in front of her nodded.

"Well … the key was a young woman. Also known as Katsuhi – the mother of demons. And god, she didn't have that name for nothing. Katsuhi had all demons united in her. She was the legendary daughter of Aya and Tsumo – the two gods. Who her parents really were is unclear, but she was the first Jinchuukuri, with all demons united in her – the ultimate weapon.

Tihatu died to save her, she was praised to in a temple until she grew old and the Bijuu actually came free of her dead body. And that's it. _The key of Tihatu _is none other than the descendant of Katsuhi and Tihatu – which they did have, but was never talked about … you know all those stupid fuss about having a virgin as heroine. Fact is there was a boy, but they lost track of him, when his children started to travel … so … we are searching for a descendant of which no one has an idea where he or she could be."

"Wrong …" Tsunade interrupted defeated. "Akatsuki seem to know where the descendant is. What did he say?"

"The informant explained to us that there was only one descendant walking on earth right now, of that they were sure … seemingly their leader is not sure who it is, but has a good idea that whoever it might be is in the Fire or Wind country … hence the alliances. They cover the borders to both countries and also split them."

Tsunade could see how she loved to link the former information with the new one. The pride in her eyes showed her that she had found that out alone, and the enthusiasm showed that it had been her work. The Hokage didn't know if she should be proud of her student, because she had done it all alone, grown up, fought her shadows and had come to this information, or if she should be frightened of what she would turn into, she had tortured a man … all alone, to know this, she was now torturing, making people scream for incoherently mumbled words. But she loved links … and she had linked it together. Still … it made her worry … even if it was only a little bit … okay, a little bit much.

Sakura saw the look her shishou gave her, and – completely in her _linking mode_ – she immediately knew what the woman was thinking.

"_Don't worry, spiders, _

_I keep the house,_

_Casually._" She smiled at her shishou.

It was a promise – a promise to stay herself; not to lose her personality, to stay the way she was: sane … as far as it was sane to be schizophrenic.

"Good work, Haruno."

* * *

**TADAAAA!**

**So, whaddaya think? I tell you what I think: REVIEW!**

**Review makes me happy ^^**

**Until the next chap! **

**Peace and love, **

**~*chuppa-chupsz*~**


	11. Why are you crying child

**HOWDY! My account says it's taken me 20 days to finally load a new chapter up so HERE I AM! First I'd like to thank _fierynightangel_ and _hellsmile89_ for their reviews, thank you guys, reviews are balm for the muse. **

**And secondly I'd like to announce that this time, I did not take the poem from anyone ... it belongs to me, and only to me (random mind flash: Dori - _I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine..._ yeah, sorry, my mind ... -.-) ... whereas Naruto absolutely doesn't. **

******Please enjoy reading!**

* * *

_**...**_

_**Why are you crying child**_

**or**

**_Her pride_**

**_..._**

* * *

Sakura raced as the group leader through the woods. The mission was to retrieve a scroll from Wind country, but since it led through enemy territory, it was an A-class mission. Sakura – as the only ANBU next to Kakashi – had gotten the lead by Tsunade.

Sasuke was of course grumpy because of this … after all, she was just a weak woman, who hadn't grown up since last time. Well … if he liked to think that, he didn't even know that she was an ANBU … hell none of them knew. And it was better like that. Naruto would kill the Hokage and Kakashi would go on rampage – probably, it was sure though that not one of the two of them would be happy with it. Sai would only smile his fake-smile and Sasuke would probably ask her with whom she had slept for getting her rank.

Damned she was _proud_ of her rank. Normally she was only a medic nin … that was when she was on group missions. On solo missions – which were quite often – she was _The black Blossom_. Feared and found in all the Bingo-books of missing nin. She had drunk a whole bottle of Sake with Tsunade when she had first found her picture in one of those Bingo-books.

Since Naruto had came back her missions had been pulled back a good measure, of which she was slightly pissed, but Tsunade had told her that she wouldn't give Sakura any ANBU missions, until she had finished her apprenticeship under Ibiki. Damn it … that could be a long time.

"Pause!" she signed and jumped down the branch to land at the foot of a tree.

"We're not even at the border and you're already tired?" Sasuke asked annoyed. "You haven't changed one bit … still weak and helpless."

Sakura took a deep breath to control the urge to hit the duck butt and instead took down her headband and changed into her gray coat. She looked at Naruto, Sai and Kakashi, who took their headbands down as well, and plopped them into her backpack before they all changed into something more discreet. Only Sasuke looked at them as if they were crazy. Sighing Sakura turned to Sasuke.

"Uchiha, I have to ask you to take your headband down and dress into something more discreet." She ordered.

"And why should we do that?" he grunted.

"As you already heard in the Hokage-office, Grass is no longer an ally of the Fire country, we will have to be able to pass as normal travelers while day and run as ninja during night."

"Nonsense … you're just afraid and too weak to defend yourself."

Sakura glared at him and the three other men carefully took a step forward in order to stop her if she would try to punch him.

"Uchiha, stop the attacks on my strength and do as I say. We can't afford to give Grass a reason to attack, not with Bird _and_ Ame as their new allies – we won't give them any reason, which is why we will also be forced to suppress our chakra during day. _Also_ we want to make it back alive. So just do as I say." She ordered.

"I refuse, Sakura."

Sakura glared at him. "On your knees, Uchiha." She ordered with an icy voice.

"What makes you think I'll do what you say?" he mocked.

But Sakura only pulled out a scroll before making a sign and took a katana out, as she unsheathed it. It gleamed glory-fully in the moonlight.

"Nothing, Uchiha. I will execute you. Not listening to your superiors means betraying the village … in your case it's the second time. I have full allowance to execute you right here and now. Run and believe me I will catch you." She answered icily.

"Sakura-chan … don't he's a brother…" Naruto tried.

"He's not a brother, Naruto. Brothers don't kill each other …" she reminded him of Sasuke killing him and Naruto sighed defeated.

"She's right … Naruto." Sai answered and placed a hand on his shoulder, leaving out the usual nickname he had for his teammate.

Only Kakashi wasn't convinced and stayed where he was – his eyes were fixated on the sword Sakura had pulled out of the scroll.

"Sakura … the information you have is classified … where did you get it?" Kakashi asked.

"I am the apprentice of Morino Ibiki, the man who knows almost everything … and who knows everything about ANBU, Kakashi. Me getting information as such is nothing too spectacular." She lied smoothly.

"Lie." Sasuke smirked. "You bloody lied. Now admit it … you slept with him? Was it good, Sakura_-chan_? And since when are you my superior?"

"Since I'm fourteen, Uchiha." She ripped down the pink cloth that covered her ANBU tattoo. "For you to know, I'm ANBU since I'm fourteen. Kakashi step aside, you know as well as I do that he broke it the second time. And he is _long_ no team mate anymore … team mates don't kill each other … and good god they don't rip each other apart … and don't say you weren't ripped apart … I was the one to put you back together."

Kakashi stepped aside. "She's right."

Sasuke looked at Sakura. "You can't kill me, Sakura. I still have a mission." He was about to turn away, when Sakura laughed out.

"Your mission … killing your brother you mean?" he stopped and turned his head slightly. "No need, _Sasuke-kun_. I already did." She laughed again. "And god was it good. The blood of his whole body sprinkled on me, when I peeled of his skin – little by little, just to heal it again and do it again, and again, and again."

Sasuke turned to her as well as the rest of the team. She only stood there, not losing her stance nor her cool composure as she told him what she had done.

"He lost his cool when he couldn't burn me … and when I broke every single bone in his body, shattered the bones of his limbs he cried and yelled … he cursed … and he sang like a bird, how else did you think I'd know all the information on the Akatsuki? _Now, Uchiha, you will come back, give me your headband and dress discreetly._" She ordered once more.

* * *

Ibiki groaned at the staples of paperwork on his desk. Why was it all so much? He read through another report and realized that it was one of his Lollipop's. He smirked … so the Uchiha had made problems. He had been extremely relieved that the duck butt had come back alive from the mission, but hadn't missed the immense tremors outside on the training grounds. He knew what his Lolly pop was capable off … and the Uchiha had very likely pissed her off to no end, seeing at how she had been training.

When she came back she growled something at him about looking in the folders about the descendant of somebody. He nodded – not really listening – and let her work … and work she did. After seven hours she returned into his office with eleven folders and set them down.

"Those are the ones in Konoha who don't have any background, so … they are possible targets for the Akatsuki …" she stated clearly. "Although … there are some things I should probably tell …"

He looked up at her and could see the utter confusion in her eyes as she pulled herself together again.

"First of all … and the most important one … six of the probable targets are … dead. And guess how they died."

"I guess you will be telling me, Lollipop."

"The first six targets are killed by our pentagram-killer."

He looked up. "The pentagram-killer murders the possible targets of the Akatsuki. Why are they all twenty?"

"It is Chinese believe that a human has three major stages of development. From zero to three you develop yourself, you learn to talk, to walk, that the person in the mirror is yourself … From six to nine you grow, you look after younger siblings, learn basics at school. From twelve to fifteen you develop from a child to a teenager, stop dreaming about Mr. Charming and step into reality. And from eighteen to twenty one you develop from a teenager to an adult."

"So then why twenty and not twenty-one?"

"I believe that the last year in this three-year-cycle is about manifesting what we are. So if the descendant would turn into the Key of Tihuta, then I believe it would be in the last year … meaning he kills them before they can turn into a deadly weapon. But … there is something … I'd like to know … it's more or less personal."

"What is it Lollypop?"

"Why do I not have any background?" She lifted up a red folder.

Ibiki was silent.

"I mean … even if there isn't _that_ much to say about me … there should be my family, no? I mean, my parents died when I was four, so there had to something about them … but here I'm not even marked as their … daughter." She faded out as she took a seat still staring at the folder.

So it _had_ dawned to her. He watched her reaction carefully, but until now he could only find more confusion. The Haruno's had been a powerful clan, no ninja though …

He watched her place the folder on his table along with the rest as she bowed to him.

"I will go now, Morino-sensei." She said quietly. "You should inform the rest about the findings …"

She turned around and walked out of the door. She was … silent, he realized. Realizing that she wasn't a Haruno had gotten her silent. She was … in fact, no body. Even the name Sakura was maybe not even her real one. She just reverted into a shy girl that was no one. It didn't feel right. This was a loudmouth konoichi, being silent because she didn't know who she was just _wasn't _right at all. He should tell the Hokage that she knew … maybe it would help.

* * *

"_Why are you crying child, _

_There is no such thing as harm. _

_Love the sun that smiled, _

_Love the oven that is warm. _

_Forget the grief _

_You thought you saw._

_Forget and leave,_

_To watch morning's thaw. _

_A life is yours to live, _

_And you are to run. _

_A heart is yours to give, _

_And no one is to shun. _

_So shush my child, _

_Why are you crying?_

_There is no such thing as harm_."

She whispered as she sat on the Hokage monument.

Her coat was floating in the breeze. She froze … well, it was winter, that was not unusual. She looked over the snowy village. It was so merry, children were laughing, there was mistletoe hung up and the Christmas decorations were hung up. Bells rang and she could see the smoke of the chimneys lift elegantly up into the white sky.

She didn't remember anything … neither her parents, nor her adoptive parents. She only remembered life all alone.

"Damn it." She seethed. Where the hell was her background?

She shivered as she felt the cold snow under her booted feet, damn it, damn it, damn it! She was ready to punch a nice crater into … into … just _somewhere_! Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. There had to be anything … anything … anywhere … But there wasn't. She was a no body, she wasn't even Sakura … very likely.

"Sakura-chan, what are you doing here?"

She turned around to look into azure blue eyes. She averted hers quickly and sighed silently.

"Naruto … you know who your parents are, right?"

"Of course!" he beamed. "My father was the third Hokage, the yellow flash of Konoha, Minato Namikaze and my mother was Kushina Uzumaki."

"Hn." Sakura smiled. "I'm glad for you." And then she vanished in a swirl of Sakura blossoms.

* * *

**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? She's not? Who is she? Where'd she come from? What's she gonna do now? And where'd she go?**

**So many questions, await the next chapter with anxiousness, some questions will be answered ... some...**

**Peace and love, **

**~*chuppa-chupsz*~**


	12. Won't you come and see

**YAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! So, wow ... it seems as if I get to upload more often, now that I'm in the summerly rhythm ^^ Big, big thanks to _fierynightangle_, _ANBU Allysa_ and _twilight-twins2_ - I love reading your Reviews =D ... and uh -.- twilight-twins made a point -" ... I admit I don't know what took me there - sry, pls excuse **

**HOWEVER ... The haiku is from Kobayashi this time I don't own it and neither do I own Naruto**

**ENJOY THE NEW CHAPTER!**

* * *

**...**

**_Won't you come and see_**

**or **

**_Finding the place to belong_**

**...**

* * *

She appeared in the office on the next day as if it nothing had happened – she acted as if nothing had happened. He grunted: she ignored it. So that was her solution, just, strictly and simply ignored it.

"Why do you ignore it?"

"What could I change anyways?" she sighed in response and went back to ordering the victims.

Thanks to her findings they had been able to find the next victims, going after their birthday. And also the place, where he would kill them.

"How does he get all the information?" Sakura racked her head over the question.

"Why is it important? We know where he will kill her and we can catch him there." Izumo shrugged.

"No … you miss a point. Imagine he has his information from a freaking informant … a mole ... he will know that we try to get him. He won't make a fault and quickly search for another place to get her done." She sighed. "Also if we have his informant we can capture him without setting the life of another civilian at risk … we should contact the victims and tell them to find a place to get under for the time."

"You're ridiculous. It's only …"

"…a homicidal man or group, craving for their life." Sakura finished. "If they _do_ value their lives, they get under at a friends' for the time being. Contact them."

They did as told. She rubbed her hands over her face to get away the fatigue and to clear her thoughts.

"I have a shift to do …" she stood up and swayed a minute before she gripped the chair for support. A minute later she was out of the door.

"She neither ate, nor slept." Anko reported when the pink-haired woman was gone.

"Thought so." Ibiki groaned.

"It would eat anybody." Kotetsu defended her.

"Yeah … and she does her duty anyways." Hayate coughed.

"Maybe … but she completely ignores the fact that she is too a potential victim." Anko pointed out.

"She _wants_ to be the major victim." Ibiki explained. "If the killer is after her she knows that the rest is in safety."

The group looked at him and then at each other before they sighed and groaned.

"Damn it … that kid will give us one hell of a headache." Anko rubbed her eyes.

"She already does, Mitarashi." Ibiki suddenly said. He looked at a folder in his hands, before lying it down.

* * *

Sakura sighed as she closed yet another wound of the ANBU in front of her. Ambushed – once again. He grunted in pain and she quickly pushed in some numbing chakra and sighed relieved when his breathing steadied again.

As soon as she was finished she hurried out of the hospital and into the cold, late afternoon. Hmmm … a tea would be wonderful now. She smiled at the memory of her sensei's incredible tea … though she was sure he had spiked it with something. But it had been incredible none the less.

For a moment she teleported herself on top of the Hokage monument and inhaled the fresh scent of crisp winter air around her. She spread her arms wide and closed her eyes, smiling wide.

"God damn it I'm no one and I'm freaking proud of it." She laughed.

When she heard the snow crunch she turned around to look straight into the face of her sensei. She smiled happily and didn't even care to brush away the strand of hair that was flying in her face. She spread her arms out wide and laughed: "Tadaaa!"

"You're crazy konoichi." He chuckled.

"And I'm proud of it!" she smiled.

He stepped closer as she turned around. He was so close she could feel him against her back – she didn't care though; she leaned right in.

"I know that you're proud of it." He told her and looked over the village with her. Having her near like this made him at ease. It was comfortable and peaceful.

Ibiki was no man of great emotions and much less was he a man who showed those emotions. But being with _his_ expressive, lively Lollipop – again – just made him feel at ease. Only that he would never say it, he would never admit that he missed her when she was on missions, because the office was only stinking gray without her; he would never tell her that a poem or a simple Haiku from her lips sounded like the most beautiful music to his ears; he would never tell her how eerie beautiful she was; how strong and independent she was; how incredible she was. He would never … he could not.

Sakura was an expressive being. If she was pissed, everyone knew it; if she was having a good time, everyone knew it; if she was pondering over something, everyone knew it. There was only the fact that she was too damn good in hiding her sadness that no one ever knew it; no one ever could see it; no one ever saw it when her heart broke for a reason; when she was pushing herself on, because recent news just simply nullified her; no one knew. No one could tell when her sadness turned into anger, because no one knew when she was sad. The thing was, Sakura also never dared to admit that she felt well with _someone_. Not with some_thing_ but with some_one_. Apart from her boys she knew that whoever she felt well with, would not stay in her life for long. They were creeped out by her mood swings, her strength, her forehead, her eyes … or her boys. Sometimes she thought those would be the only men in her life, because they made sure that every guy who dated her had a life of hell. So she would never admit that she felt well with her sensei. Not only was it her sensei, but it was Ibiki Morino. The man would laugh at her and tell her to play games that little girls play. She could not admit it.

"You ready for another night of work, Lollypop?" he asked her in his unmistakable baritone – it sent shivers up her arms.

"Yeah … just don't pass out and make me eat sugar the next day, fuckface." She shot back.

"Gah … the burnings still hurt like a bitch." He growled.

"They should. First you make me work like a poor sucker and then you're not even able to get me a sugar free breakfast? You definitely deserved it."

"I hate you too."

"At least that is reciprocated."

He put his hand on her shoulder and teleported them back into the tower, where they ended up standing in his office. He bent down to her ear.

"Go and get the team together in the meeting room." He whispered, breathing in her ear.

She only nodded and he smirked, realizing that it was – again – him who had rendered her speechless. He let go and she was already out of the room. He put down his coat and grabbed the folders before making his way to the meeting room, where Anko was already waiting.

"Where's the Lollypop with the rest?" he asked as he put down the folders.

"The _Lolly pop_ is getting the rest." Anko answered and twirled a strand of her in her fingers.

He waited five minutes while going through the files before he heard a loud squeal and manly laughter.

"PUT ME DOWN DAMN IT! YOU STUPID FUCKFACES!"

She came crashing through the door, feet first her coat floating after her before she stood on the ground and flexed back to the five men, bringing down every single one of them – with shackled hands. They lay on the floor, still laughing at the woman in front of them who was pissed off.

"Too good, too good." Raidou cackled and hit the floor.

"Oy, Lolly pop, I thought I was the fuckface." He strew salt into the wound, she shot him a death-glare.

Izumo and Kotetsu were crying tears always pointing at Sakura who stood in the middle of them with a heaving chest and clenched jaw. Her hands were shackled behind her back and by the way they gleamed he guessed that they were chakra depriving shackles.

Genma and Hayate were laughing out loud, giving each other the check.

"IDIOTS!" she roared. "GOD DAMN IT I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" she yelled and stomped on the ground – as a result the whole building shook.

The laughter ensued immediately. And they all watched as Sakura straightened her arms and lifted them up.

"Hey, hey … stop it Sakura, you'll pop out a joint … we'll just open them up again." Kotetsu offered.

But Sakura had her hands already over her head, where suddenly she popped out her joint purposely and turned her elbow in a 360° rotation before she sunk her hands in front of her again.

"Whoa … nice." Izumo commented.

Sakura lifted her hands and stared at the shackles before she took a deep breath and held it there for a second.

"Errr … Sakura-chan … you can't use a jutsu, those are …"

But she already exhaled and made the shackles gleam in a bright orange as she heated them. When the gleam spread over the whole trap she simple wiggled her wrists and the molten iron fell down.

"Useless anyways …" she shrugged.

The group stared, until she lifted her head and glared at the five men.

"And now to you…" she growled. "Will you _stop_ doing such _stupid_ things to me? One should believe you are grown ups and serious!"

"Sakura-chan … we have a sugar freak as second in command." Genma defended.

"Shut your trap." Anko seethed.

"Anko doesn't shackle me at least!" Sakura hollered back and saw Genma open his mouth again. "Shut it, Shiranui. Don't believe I don't know it was you I healed this afternoon, I know exactly what I healed and I know exactly how I take it back … got it?"

Genma stuck his tongue out, and so did Sakura … only her tongue was longer. Very much longer.

"Nice tongue, Sakura-chan." Hayate complemented.

"Very well … we know now that Lolly pop can evade chakra shackles, is agile and has a long tongue … anything else? Can we get to work now?" Ibiki grunted.

"Hai, sempai."

* * *

_Won't you come and see  
loneliness? Just one leaf  
from the __kiri__ tree._

He looked at the sleeping form of Sakura on the next day. She was cuddled between his team and his lips twitched into a slight smile. She looked so lost in all those bodies somehow … and at the same time she looked as if she just belonged here.

Sakura was a spot of color in all these gray colors. Everything was dark, gray or just somber around them. Their uniforms, their offices, hell even their hair-colors. Only Sakura made an incredible spot of color in all that gray. Her pink hair and her green eyes … and then of course her youth. She was so much younger than all of them, so much more livelier.

When he saw her between all those men bodies that protected her, he only realized how she had yet again found people who cherished her and who would hunt down the evil to the tartaric pit and back again if it should only look at her in an unwelcome way or harm her.

But was he the evil? He smirked again.

* * *

**TADAAAA!**

**I'm very proud of myself that I uploaded this chapter so early^^ REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**

**'cause reviews make me happy and make me upload sooner =D**

**Peace and love, **

**~*chuppa-chupsz*~**


	13. Temple bells die out

**YO YO YO! Hello, hello ... I guess it's a little time already since I've last loaded something up ... so sorry :(. Anyways, big, big thank-you-s to _fierynightangel_, _Elwynn-no-Hime_, _angel897_ and _AnimeFreak00001_ for the review =D **

**I don't own Naruto and the haiku is from Kobayashi, **

**ENJOY!**

**Ah, yeah btw: lemon in this one ... just a warning or something^^**

* * *

_**Temple Bells Die Out**_

**or**

_**The way they see their love**_

* * *

Sakura sat down in front of the black obelisk. The small clearing around her was covered in snow, but it didn't matter to her; the place was always beautiful. She had stumbled across it, while returning from a mission.

There were eight stone paths towards a basalt obelisk … more like a cylinder. It was high but incredible graceful. Sending chakra to her feet she climbed the obelisk and wiped the snow down from its flattened top. Smiling she jumped on top of it and looked around.

The view was breathtaking – like every time. She could look over the tree tops and even watch over the village. Still smiling she sat down in the tailor-seat and placed her hands on her knees. She straightened her back and closed her eyes, exhaling and inhaling slowly.

She knew that the night would soon fall and that she would most probably spend her whole night out here, but she didn't exactly care. It was her free day and she wouldn't allow her sensei this time to ruin her free day.

She hadn't slept for a whole week and slowly it began to show. She was only so confused! She had been Sakura Haruno … the Spring cherry … and now she found out that it maybe – very likely – wasn't even her god damn name.

"I really need to clear my head."

She exhaled again and started to sort out her thoughts. After hours and hours of thinking she finally came to the following:

She may not be a Haruno, but damn it that changed nothing about the fact that she was what she was.

She may not be Sakura but she had pink hair and green eyes.

She may not have any parents, but who needed a genealogy?

She was a ninja, and she was it herself. With or without name, they couldn't take her position, just because she lacked a name. Maybe she wasn't from this village, but her heart beat for it.

She would tell the boys what she had found out – they deserved to know it.

Opening her eyes she looked at the village as – now – snow was falling on it. She smiled softly. Damn right her heart was beating for this.

Sighing softly she jumped down from the obelisk and landed with a soft thud in the snow, where she left a foot print and a hand-print – she smiled gleefully as she made her way back to the village.

Still smiling she landed right behind Izumo and Kotetsu as the two were just talking and with a wave of chakra immobilized them for a second, which she needed to place a genjutsu over herself before she made the lights flicker with another wave of chakra. Releasing them she let out an incredible roar and looked at the terrified faces of the two shinobi. But before they could attack she set the lights out and was out of the room, before the lights could go on again.

When the two stormed out of the watching hut and looked left and right in confusion, she chuckled from a further roof at the look of the two.

Deciding she would try and sleep, she hopped back to her apartment and went straight to bed there. God was she _tired_.

* * *

"Seeeempaaaaaaaii!"

A loud yell announced the arrival of his second in command, Anko Mitarashi … very likely on a sugar high. His door flung open and said woman flew on his ground.

"How can I help you, Mitarashi?" he asked nonchalantly.

"She's sleeping." The woman grinned broadly at him.

THANK GODS! He sighed and nodded relieved, dismissing her. The woman scrambled up and smiled as she left. As soon as she had closed the door he sighed relieved and relaxed. Finally his Lolly pop was sleeping. It had taken her one damned week to finally do so. On top of that … tomorrow was her free day so she could get quite some sleep. Oh gods … thank you.

* * *

Sakura was back after two days and she looked better. A lot better. She shone like before and smiled that radiating smile that was just contagious. As soon as she stepped into the tower she stopped.

"Whoa … who turned on the central heating? Guys it's far too hot …" she seethed.

"Me." Anko grumbled. "It's cold."

"Aa." Sakura nodded.

_No wonder,_ they all thought in unison, _she doesn't exactly dress differently from when it's summer …_

Sighing Sakura took off the coat and threw it into a corner and walked over to the chart to look at it. The men's eyes were following her. She wore her pink medic skirt and the black military boots like Ibiki, since she found them much more practical during winter, her top was different. It consisted of only a mesh shirt with a red bandana around her breasts.

There was only one thought the men shared at that moment: _She isn't COLD?_

"Have we already called the victims?" she asked as she lay back and looked at the team from the floor.

"We did." Kotetsu smiled at her.

"Good." She exhaled. "The next one … Inari … Hagane! Kotetsu? You have a sister?"

"Adopted." Kotetsu admitted.

"Dumbhead, why didn't you tell us earlier. Fuckhead …" she cursed. "You. Will bring her here I will go at her place." She pointed to Kotetsu. "She's the safest here."

"Hey, hey … Lollypop … it's still me who gives the commands."

"Well then… give the commands fuckface." She shrugged and he realized that he would just have to repeat what she had said.

"Kotetsu bring your sister here, we will have another konoichi replace her." He sighed and when Kotetsu vanished Ibiki stared at Sakura.

"Lollypop …" he groaned threatening.

"Asshole …" she acknowledged nodding and turned back to the chart.

_Agh … she just has this … ATTITUDE! It's driving me mad …_

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't say a word as she went through the files again. Anko smirked at him as did the rest of his team and he realized – once again – that she had just eroded his authority. Oh this WOMAN!

When Kotetsu came back with his sister Sakura went to talk with the young woman. Tomorrow would be her birthday – her twentieth. She told Inari about the murders and told her that she would fill in for her, take her place on her twentieth birthday, while she stayed in this tower with her brother.

Inari nodded now and then in understanding and told Sakura everything she had to know about her friends, her habits, what she liked to drink, to eat – to Sakura's chagrin she loved sweets – and what else she needed to know.

After a long talk the two women came back and Sakura smiled while handing her back to Kotetsu, who held her close. She smiled at the two and called a meeting. Ibiki groaned.

"Meeting after I had a talk with the Lollypop."

Inari looked confused at first but when Sakura threw him a "Yare yare, I'm coming, giant." back she smiled and giggled.

* * *

In his office he sat down and waited for Sakura to come in. What a luck that his office was soundproof.

She entered and was already strapped to the chair with chakra bindings, bored she looked up at him.

"What's pissing you off this time, sucker?" she asked uninterested.

"What the fuck is it with you? Will you just freaking _calm down_ and accept your place? It's still me who gives the fucking commands, and if it isn't me it's Mitarashi."

"No reason to blow up like a bomb." She drawled bored. He stopped pacing around her and groaned.

She wore his patience out, and she god damned knew it as well. He kicked the chair against a wall, where she sat quietly and stared at him as he came up and pulled her up the wall – his hand on her throat.

"Insolent, little wrench." He seethed.

"That's me." She wheezed back, but her stare wouldn't go down.

Fuck it! He noticed at exactly that point that he loved her for never backing down, for standing up against him, taking over the command when it definitely wasn't hers. He growled threateningly. All she could think of in her current position was spitting him right into the face.

He whipped the saliva away from his face and pushed harder. She didn't give in, she didn't back down. He hated her at the same time for it – why couldn't she just be simple. With an angry roar he threw her into the next corner.

She was at him in a matter of seconds her kunai between her fingers and flying at him at top speed, but not quick enough for him, he only threw her into the next corner, not expecting her to fall from the ceiling as he had a grip of her henge to sink her kunai into his back and flip away again.

"Fuckhead."

"Scrawny bitch."

She threw the table at him, but he broke through with nothing more than his arms. What she had on chakra strength, he could give in raw strength ... well mostly. An angry yell drew his attention back to her as she flung another kunai at him, ripping right through his shirt. Furiously he just discarded it and charged her again, banging her head against the wall.

But she was agile and so she pushed her feet from the ground to land them on his shoulders and enhancing them with chakra smashed him into the ground. He got a hold of her cloak and she discarded it immediately. When she jumped back he lifted himself – his head-covering shawl with his hitai-ite flew down on the ground exposing his scarred head.

"Scarface."

"Useless Barbie."

This time he raced towards her but he wasn't completely prepared for the cupboards that were pulled towards him with chakra strings. Howling furiously he shot back up and grabbed her hips throwing her at the other end of his room and pulling down her medic-skirt in the process.

"Asshole."

"Hussy."

With a screech and an incredible speed she threw herself at him, scratching his skin in the process. He grabbed her hands and pinned them to the wall as he bit into her neck, drawing blood. She kicked her boot into his back. He pinned her tighter against the wall as his digits dug into the flesh of her hips. Her nails racked across his arms drawing blood as well as she bit him into the neck as well.

With another threatening growl he ripped her pants away and held her thighs in a death grip – black spots were sure to be shown there later. He could feel her nails dig right into his lower back, break the skin even, as she racked them square over his skin, while she loosened his pants as well.

When the undergarments were ripped apart as well, he penetrated her with one quick and unforgiving thrust. He bit her breast and drew blood, she bonked her head against his, only to be earning a sharp thrust and a hand at her throat again.

One thrust after another, every thrust a bit sharper, more unforgiving, she bit into his hand and drew blood, her eyes glaring defiantly into his.

He bit her lips, drawing blood, teeth clashed together, breaths mingled, growls from the one were swallowed by the other, tongues were bit, faces scratched. The thrusts lasting longer, getting more furious, less controlled, until he pounded senselessly into her. She bit hard into his – burned – shoulder when she came, her walls tightening around him and sending him into bliss – hurtful one as well - as he shoved her one last time hard against the wall.

When they came out again, battered, bruised and bleeding both of them sent the team a death glance and Ibiki started the meeting. Sakura interrupted now and then entering a short glare-battle with her sensei, before they could continue.

Even Anko was cowering from the aura the two of them were radiating. Inari was the only one that kept on smiling, for reasons unknown to Kotetsu, but he made sure that his adopted sister was safe from the two hot heads.

"Good, we will have Haruno pose for Inari and with some luck we can get that asshole before anything else happens."

Grunts of approval were heard. Sakura and Ibiki were the first to leave both glaring at each other. The rest looked after them.

"Did you see what they looked like?" Anko gasped.

"I've never seen sempai _that_ bloody." Raidou agreed.

"She wasn't everyone's apprentice for nothing, Rai." Genma countered.

"True. But to land a hit on Morino it takes a lot … and she landed a lot of hits if you asked me."

"They had bloody spots on their arms … their jackets sucked up their blood, did you see that?" Izumo asked.

"She was limping… and did you see her lip?" Kotetsu ruffled his hair.

"We're in for a hell trip with those two, I swear it." Hayate finally coughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Inari smiled softly and offered Hayate a glass of water.

"What are you talking about, sister?"

"They love each other." The bond woman explained. "It should be obvious to you."

"Love? Sister I believe, there is something you don't understand. Ibiki Morino doesn't love."

"It would already be surprising, if he would feel." Izumo agreed with his best friend.

"No … she could be right." Anko agreed. "He loves her for not backing down and talking back to him, on the other hand he already hates her for it. I guess it's pretty … twisted."

"It's sick." Genma exclaimed.

"It's complicated … they both have a certain history…" Raidou chewed on his thumb. "I still think they are crazy."

"I bet they've been wasting the office." Hayate thought loudly.

"The office!" Anko jumped up and ran towards the office of the head of the TI-department. The rest followed.

"Oh my god."

They looked at the completely wasted, screwed up and destroyed office. Their mouths hung open as Anko cautiously stepped in. She lifted her hands.

"Kai." She whispered disbelieving – but nothing changed. "Dear lord … it's real."

"It's … destroyed, fucked up … a complete ruin. Look at the desk."

"The papers … he just finished arranging them a few days ago."

"Wow …"

* * *

She stepped into her apartment and dropped her coat. She cursed when she stepped in front of her mirror and looked at her body as she began to undress gradually.

"Oh you'll pay for that." She whispered silently.

"I believe I already did, Lolly pop."

She turned around to find her sensei sitting on her bed and hold his hand to his bleeding neck. She threw an overlarge shirt over herself and walked over to him.

"Stay still." She ordered as she undressed him and started healing his wounds at the same time as she healed hers.

"There, all done, Scarface."

"Hm." He pulled her down on the bed and cradled her close to him. "Too bad that I won't let you go now." He growled.

"If you think so …" he bit her into the neck at her nonchalant answer.

"I don't think so, I know so." He pushed down his boots and lay down completely, pulling her to him.

"I hate you." She whispered tiredly.

"At least that is reciprocated." He answered.

"_Temple bells die out.  
The fragrant blossoms remain.  
A perfect evening_." she crooked almost inaudible and he smirked against her skin.

* * *

**Ah, the scene was a bit ... special, I suppose, but well ... I will warn you now as well that it will stay the only lemon as well, so ... yeah, just so you know ... BUT maybe, maybe ... they could fall in love ... who knows? **

**Peace and love, **

***~chuppa-chupsz~***


	14. That Wren

**So, very well - I've promised the whole time that I'd do my uploads more regularly and realized that it's not really possible. SO - I've decided that I'd simply finish this story by loading it all up and giving it all to you ... so, here we are, this is the 14th chapter. **

**

* * *

**

**_That wren_**

**or**

**_The Art of losing track_**

* * *

Sakura woke up in the strong arms of Ibiki and grumpily admitted that she just woke from one of her best sleeps. Carefully she slid out of his arms and tiptoed into the bathroom. There she stood in front of the mirror and looked at the only mark she hadn't healed yesterday: his bite into her neck. Somehow she just had refrained from healing it.

Sighing she stepped into the shower and turned the hot water lid open. She was about to take the soap, she was carefully placed against a chest.

"Good morning to you too, Lolly pop."

He took her wrist gently and soaped her carefully. Astounded by his foreign handling she was tempted to turn around, but she resolved in leaning against him and closing her eyes.

When he was done, he switched arms before he took care of her torso, her firm stomach and her rather small breasts. He payed special attention around the area of his bite, as not to hurt her. He then rinsed the suds and before reached for her shampoo he kissed her softly on the base of her neck. She let his unusually cautious hands work the cherry shampoo into her hair. When he had finished rinsing her hair as well, he pecked her on the cheek.

"See you at work, Lolly pop."

And with a silent puff of smoke he vanished. She smiled slightly and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself into a white, fluffy towel before she went back to her room to get dressed. Only then did she realize that there was absolutely no trace of him left.

She entered the hospital in her – now – usual gray coat and a green and white, knitted, wool-scarf. Without hesitation she sauntered to her own office, greeting the medics and assistants on her way there.

In her office she wasn't surprised to see a stack of paperwork piling on her desk. No, that one was an everyday feat, seeing as the Hokage loathed, despised, hated, detested … paperwork. But the hot cup of coffee on her table surprised her. She looked around in her office, only to find it empty.

Next to the cup lay a small, white, discreet post-it: _Sugar free … don't have to spill it o'er me_ – it said.

She smiled and took a sip from the coffee and smiled when she realized that it really was sugar free. Nice for once.

* * *

It was twisted, the way he was attracted to her. He really loved the way she never backed down, her enthusiasm, how she put the links together, he loved her for being so colorful. At the same time he really hated her for always talking back, for never backing down. It would get her killed one day or the other…

He was interrupted when his door was blown open. In the doorway stood his second in command: Anko Mitarashi. Something about her aura screamed: TROUBLE!

"She slept tonight…" she acknowledged silently.

He nodded, but the woman wouldn't move. She stared at him with calculating eyes and he looked at her for some moments, before he returned his gaze to the papers.

"Sempai …"

"What is it, Mitarashi?" he growled out.

See, Ibiki could smell insecurity and fear like a dog; he could see it radiating and he used it as his own weapon. And Anko _was_ insecure at this very moment. She knew that it wasn't her business to talk to him about this, but on the other hand she saw it as her duty to talk to him, because she liked Sakura too much.

But he didn't feel like listening to one of her moral speeches. Not only had his day been far too great for this, but also she was his subordinate, his private life was none of her business.

"Nothing, I must have forgotten …" she shook her head and closed the door behind her.

* * *

She walked through the snowed-in town and watched the first Christmas trees be sold, she watched mothers buy candy sticks, punch being sold on the streets and smiling children making snow-mans and snow-angels. Sighing she looked at the gray tower at the end of the street, she didn't want to get there just yet.

Grinning she entered a candy shop – a little bit of sugar for the team wouldn't be too bad. Smiling she went through the stock.

"Sakura-chan?" she turned around to look at Naruto. "Since when do you buy sugary things?"

She smiled at him. "I thought a bit sugar would help the team… especially Anko."

"The team …" Naruto mused. "So … what about us?"

Sakura looked up from the candy sticks with wide, green eyes. "W-W-what?" she stammered surprised.

"If they are the team what are we?" Naruto asked again.

"Y-Y-You are …" _family_ – it ran through her head. They were family, the family that she hadn't had for a long time. She took care of them, laughed with them, talked with them, she bonked them when they were stupid … they were family.

"I thought _we_ were your team, Sakura."

She didn't miss the missing _chan_ after her name and the sad look on Naruto's face when he turned around. Sakura knew exactly where this would be going. First he would be sad, because she 'didn't want to be on their team anymore' and after he had gotten over that phase, he would be icy to her. She grabbed his arm when he was about to walk away.

"Naruto-kun. You, Kakashi, Sai and Yamato … you are more than my team." The blond turned around. "You've been around me in the hardest times, you've seen me grow and you've always been encouraging me. You four are my family, do you understand? The team I am in now is because I am with another sensei, and the department took me as a team member."

She smiled a bit shyly and he gave her one of his trademark, cheesy grin. She hugged him close and looked around again.

"So … what do you think could get their spirits up a bit?"

* * *

He had never thought he would see his Lolly pop with a pack of sweets – Christmas or not. So when she came into the tower with a pink paper bag filled with candy sticks and sweets he couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow towards her.

"Hey guys!" she beamed at them and shook the snow from her shoulders and out of her hair.

She entered the team room and placed the paper bag on the table.

"I brought you something." She smiled.

His whole team darted towards the bag and fished out candy sticks, chocolate Santa's and other Christmas sweets. She even had brought cupcakes – Naruto had made her buy those. When everyone was munching on something she sat down and looked at Inari.

"So … are all the preparations done?" she asked them.

"We are ready if it that is what you wanted to hear." Kotetsu answered while he chewed on his cupcake.

"Good." She chewed on a slice of ginger.

Hours later she was being dressed into a black dress which should have been Inari's that evening. Sakura had bought her a violet choker that complimented her pale skin and the woman carried it with pride. The pink-haired konoichi didn't exactly fill the dress out and the men around her had to stifle some laughter when she came out and snapped Inari out of the crowd so she could put the genjutsu on them both.

"She's … small." Genma whispered when the two women had exited the room.

"Her mouth sure isn't." he retorted and gulped down his cup of punch.

_And small or not, she knows good sex_ – he smirked, making his subordinates cower in fear of what was to come.

When the two women came out of the room again, Sakura was the living replica of Inari, whereas she was the living replica of Sakura.

"Go and have fun." Inari said and hugged Sakura. "Thank you by the way."

"It's alright." Sakura answered – she turned to the rest of the crew.

Izumo, Anko and Hayate were to go with her and watch her, while Kotetsu, Genma and Ibiki would stay with Inari in the tower.

Subconsciously she looked around and searched for their target. Result: none. She couldn't find him. With a side glance to Anko and a head-shake of said woman she realized that neither her friends had found him.

At midnight Inari stood up from her makeshift bed. Being a human, she had human needs to look after, and one of her needs was about to make itself very remarkable.

Standing up she wobbled towards the toilets.

"Inari." She turned around to see her brother Kotetsu standing in the shadows. "You shouldn't just stand up and walk away without a word."

"Sorry, brother. I just … had to go to the toilets."

"It's alright, I'll accompany you."

She nodded.

He wasn't here. _Why_ wasn't he here? It was Inari who had her birthday today. The village only had that many women who would get twenty tonight. She sighed and leaned back into her booth; Inari's favorite drink in her hand. Around her were sitting Inari's friends chatting and laughing, some of them pulling her to the dance floor now and then where she would dance with them and laugh, but as soon as she returned to their booth she only held conversations halfheartedly, smiled all the time and searched with her eyes for the murderer.

She excused herself and went to the toilet. Anko nodded to her.

Once in the cooler and also quieter room she looked into the mirror and almost jumped. There was a man behind her – not _any_ man.

"W-Who are you?"

"You know damn right who I am konoichi, drop the act."

Kotetsu stood more or less right next to her. There was only a door that separated them. But it was taking some time already.

"Inari?" he asked carefully.

No answer.

The man stared at her by looking at the mirror. Playing frightened she stared back.

"What … do you w-want from me?" she tried it again.

"I said drop it, konoichi." He growled.

Damned, didn't work. Well … might as well give up the act. She turned around and stared directly into his eyes, her voice cold she asked a third time.

"What do you want from me, shithead?"

"Now that's a nice konoichi. We need you, it's as easy as that. And you'll come along nice and quiet, got it?"

"Of course."

"Inari…" he tried again.

No answer. Fearing the worst Kotetsu threw the door out of its angles with one swift kick. The door flew open only to be met with nothing and an open window.

Panicking the man ran to the window and looked out – nothing.

"CODE RED!" he yelled when he ran back and grabbed his weapons.

Anko looked for the woman that had recently left but couldn't find her anywhere. She shot Izumo a quick glance before she left for the toilets.

"What if I don't come?"

The man smirked at her. "You love your friends right?" he didn't wait for a reaction of her. "Well, there is that loudmouth with the annoying dog, he's with his girlfriend and right now, they're in chakra shackles."

"Bluff." Sakura smirked.

_**Exactly, girl.**_

"Well … that was right. I'm impressed, you really can read people's intentions."

Reading people's intentions? WTF?

"Then you will also know that I'm not bluffing if I say that we have a close eye on that Anko-thingy outside there, as well as her boyfriend … who is in hospital at the moment. Am I right?"

_**Damned … this looks a bit worse …**_

_I have to go with him_

_**Are you crazy?**_

_I can't endanger Kakashi-sensei! His lungs are still instable and he's easy prey … I just can't so I can get away healthy – in no way_

_**YOU ARE SO STUPID! DON'T YOU DARE-**_

"I'll go with you."

_**AGH! GOD DAMNIT! YOU'RE SUCH A MORON!**_

_You got the message?_

_**Hmph…**_

_Thank you_

"Good girl."

He held his arms out and she let her bag drop, slipped out of her shoes and took his hand. She looked at the door one more moment, before she only sees black and knows that she is in a teleportation jutsu.

"CODE RED!"

"DAMN IT!" Ibiki seethed. "WE CALL BACK NOW! TARGETS ARE MISSING!"

Fuck it. Of course it just _had_ to happen. She just _had _to go missing … both of them. He punched the next wall – growling frustrated and angry. The dark city was silent to his outrage. He sighed frustrated.

_That wren-  
looking here, looking there.  
You lose something?_

He could almost hear her voice. God damn it. Let's count what he lost today. Lost apprentice, lost target, lost person he had been ought to protect, lost nerves … and he would lose his sanity soon.

He turned around when he heard his team approaching. Anko held a bag and two shoes in her hand.

"She left these."

"Tower. Now." Her ordered.

He really, really needed to get some things clear, and that as quickly as possible god damn it.

* * *

**OMG! He lost them! :O what will he do now? Read the next one, to find out :)**


	15. Awake at night

**No intro - do not own - please enjoy reading**

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_**Awake at night**_

**or**

_**The ways they walk alone**_

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It was useless, it felt like he was missing something. He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face as he closed his eyes. There was something missing: just what the hell was it? His gaze wandered and fell on the shoes and the bag at the other side of his room. Curious he stood up and went over. He took the bag and emptied it on the floor. A smell penetrated his nose immediately. But he couldn't find whatever it was. Could she have?

"Kai."

GAAAAAH! She had! Stupid, stupid man! Why hadn't he tried this earlier? He groaned and looked at the now visible utensils; so obvious … he wanted to smack his head. A flask of perfume and a … rather drenched letter.

_Hey Dickhead, this is Kura speaking … writing. Sakura's talking to a guy, more precisely: an Akatsuki. I'm sure you'll remember the blond bomber from the group. The guy is threatening Kakashi-san … and she's STUPID! Gawd, what did I do to get into such a stupid body … she's going with him if you didn't get it yet, Shit-face. So … she's letting her shoes here … and her bag … I'm gonna put the letter into the bag. By the way … they take her 'cause they think that she's the descendant of the Tihuta … Tahuti … what do I know … guy … so just get'er back soon, 'cause if not you'll be at her god damn mercy and that one'll depend on her memory. _

Tihatu? From the children's story _Tihatu's magical key_?

"MITARASHI!"

* * *

Sakura looked around – darkness surrounded her, no sound, no smell, nothing. The silence was deafening, the air was thick and she could open her eyes as wide as she wanted: she was only met with black. She sat on the ground and didn't move – it seemed like eternity. Why would they want her? There was nothing special about her, she didn't even have a real name, for crying out loud! The voice that spoke next seemed incredibly loud in all the silence.

"Stand up, konoichi."

She stood. An image of a man appeared, floating in mid-air and strangely enough shimmering in all colors of the rainbow – only his eyes were clearly visible: menacing orange swirls.

"You …" he seemed to smirk. "Not bad."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Care to speak more clearly, Motherfucker?" she asked him.

"Hmmm … A potty mouth we will have to change that."

"No one's gonna change that … ever." She replied – hell when not even her _sensei_ had been able to change that, no one would be able to do so.

"We'll see, we'll see. Are you going to be a nice konoichi or will we have to shackle you up?" he asked her.

"Hn, come on, big guy, shackle me up." She almost moaned, knowing exactly that no shackles would ever be able to hold her up as long as she had Kura.

The next voice was just behind her, nothing more than a caress of her skin as another man whispered into her neck.

"Feisty, aren't we, pinky."

* * *

The Hokage rubbed her forehead and groaned. "So she's the descendant of the key …"

"B-But why Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined.

"Why anyone else?" Anko asked in return.

"We won't have to worry …" Tsunade said again. "Not only was she the apprentice of everyone, but she also … knows the tortures so she won't say a thing … we just have to get her back."

"What do you mean she knows torture?" Sai cut in. "Sure she is an ANBU, but …"

"She's a what?"

"Mitarashi, keep your voice down and your thoughts to yourself, got it?" a rather pissed off Ibiki growled.

"So … like I said. She sure is ANBU, but how do you mean she knows torture?"

"She was tortured. It's as easy as that." Kakashi replied and shot Ibiki a death glare.

"Y-You tortured Sakura-chan?" Naruto yelled.

"Not exactly. I made Mitarashi torture the Lolly pop … the first time." Ibiki smirked.

"Why that?" Sasuke asked.

"She knows incredibly many things, Uchiha. I had to test her … she was running through the tests for two months straight; and never said a word."

"He even tried seducing her." Kakashi 'helped'.

"You WHAT?" Naruto looked at him with bewildered eyes.

"Hehe, kit. Not me personally … I hired a man for that." He calmed the fox-boy down, although he replayed the nice fight he had had with his Lollypop … and of course the incredibly good sex… Anko – as if reading his thoughts – glared at him, but said nothing.

"Now … can we get back to the topic… She went with Akatsuki … they believe she's the key … and we'll have to get her back. Shizune, I want the Rookie 9 here … as fast as possible."

* * *

She sat in a room with the surviving Akatsuki around her. The dress – which she didn't fill out – slacked around her and she was bored. No one talked, everyone looked at her and she was fed up. Bowing down she searched the ground for a pebble and soon found one, picking it up she started flicking it from one hand into the other.

"Stop that." One of them snarled at her.

"Stop it and do what exactly to kill the boredom?" she replied and continued flicking the stone.

"Will you just _wait_, yeah? Do you even know how to do that, un?"

"God, will you just stop it? I'm bored, I've been waiting for five hours straight, first in a dark pit and now here. Let me have some things to do …"

"Will you SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH?"

"I won't, fuckhead."

"Why does she still talk …" another voice groaned.

"Because you fucktards still answer me." She only replied and went back to play with her pebble.

Someone entered the room and all the Akatsuki stood up, bowing – Sakura followed the pebble she threw intently with her eyes.

"Doesn't seem like the intelligent one, does she? And here it is said that people with large foreheads are intelligent… What a waste."

Sakura stopped flicking the pebble and turned around to look into a blue-haired woman's face.

"Did you just piss me off, slut?" she sneered.

"I believe I did." The blue-haired woman retorted.

For a moment Sakura thought about breaking the shackles, but Kura just had to butt in.

_**You can't do that honey … we need to know what they know and the best way is to stay with them. Besides … you can supervise and observe them better that way**_

_God damn it, I downright hate it when you discourage me …_

_**Why, you're feeling bad afterwards?**_

_No … you're just too good about it_

So the pink-haired woman resolved in nodding grimly and turning back to her pebble; not caring about the glare she received from the woman. When the woman had sat down as well Sakura bent down and searched for another two pebbles on the floor – soon finding some. Bored she began to juggle with them.

"Nice, konoichi. Now let them fall and stand up."

Sakura looked up to see the illusion-man from earlier sitting in front of her – this time without rainbow-colors; he was flesh and blood. Standing up the woman placed the pebbles on the chair she had previously occupied and looked at the man again.

"I take it you know why you are here."

She groaned. "Believe me, I would have been gone by now if I knew it."

The man chuckled and looked at her. "With shackles around your wrists?"

"I don't give a damn about shackles." She shrugged.

"However … you won't be going anywhere. First we …"

"… need you as bait for the Kyuubi, I figured that much. Anything else to do with me?" she completed.

"You will learn to respect your new master." He growled.

"Master?" she asked.

"Exactly. Master. Now … shush … take her where you want to, I don't care. Just out of my sight." He ordered.

* * *

The Rookie 9 stood in the office of the Hokage.

Shikamaru was yawning lazily, Kiba sat next to Hinata, Tenten played with a Kunai, Naruto contented himself in glaring at Ibiki, Neji stood straight and firm, Hinata lunged in a corner, Sasuke stood brooding in another corner, Anko chewed on a dango, Lee and Gai stood straight and proud in their green spandex, Kurenai stood next to Choji who was munching Chips, Kakashi looked lazily around and Ino sat next to Sasuke.

"Dear friends … I called you here, because we have a problem."

"Really now …" Kurenai arched an eyebrow.

"The key of Tihatu was found by our enemies. The real problem begins here: that woman is Sakura."

Hinata looked up and stared at her. "You only find it out now?" she questioned. Naruto turned around to her.

"What? You knew?"

"Listen up, knucklehead. I was put into the library for ten months straight, you don't remember anymore? It was an order of Kurenai-san."

"Eh … well … I know now."

"In that time I realized that Sakura didn't have a register. No background, no history. So I searched for newspapers that would tell me some things … however … at the end of the stay there I realized that Sakura was the key of Tihatu, one of the descendants of the mother of demons. You never asked yourself why you were attracted to her, Naruto?"

The blond man blushed. Hinata continued.

"It's easy: the key is the only person able to unify all the demons in her. The demons sense a strong spirit. It was the same with Gaara, he was attracted to her because of Shukaku, no question. However … if Akatsuki has the key of Tihatu it is because of their ultimate weapon: her. They want to make her their ultimate weapon by uniting the beasts inside of her and maybe even altering her memories."

"T-They can do that?" Naruto stammered.

"They have a medic as well, the blue-haired konoichi with the origami powers. With her help it would be possible to do so."

"Where does all that knowledge come from, Hinata-chan? I didn't know books held it…" Kakashi asked.

Hinata looked at Ibiki who nodded at her. Her eyes flickered to Kiba, who only smiled broadly at her. She groaned.

"Geeeh … well, guess it's time to tell you." She stood up and saluted. "Hyuuga Hinata, special ANBU operator also known as 'Flowing Bandit'."

Silence.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

* * *

_Awake at night-  
the sound of the water jar  
cracking in the cold._

Sakura sat in her new room … her cell. Rectangular and empty, safe for her. She lay down on the ground and looked up at the ceiling, where the light of the moon drew its shadows.

Smiling she closed her eyes and thought of her village.

Naruto, the knucklehead, who always glomped her whenever she arrived at training, made her laugh; his incredible speed when eating Ramen; his belief in himself and trust in his friends.

Sai, the unemotional prick. She shook her head, no … that wasn't Sai anymore. He had learned what emotions were, he felt them, she knew it – she had seen him cry for the first time.

Kakashi … her bigger brother and the inventor of the 'Kakashi-mode' – she giggled. One day he would get himself killed for loving the people of his village.

Yamato, the man who looked out for them when Kakashi was 'far beyond repair'. He had helped her a lot with her speed, man he could spread his roots faster than the eye.

Tsunade, her great shishou and substitute mother … if one could say. The woman had opened her doors as many as possible, and Sakura had looked into each room behind them. Tsunade was one of the people that had believed in her and had always stood by her side.

Then of course Shizune, the first person who had taken her under her wings after Tsunade. Thanks to the black-haired assistant, Sakura knew incredibly much about poisons.

All the jonin, Genma with his fear of needles when it came to infusions, Hayate with his steady cough, Izumi and Kotetsu who were like brothers, Anko with her sweets addiction, Raidou with his sword like a knight in the medieval.

Ibiki … the tree-giant – _her_ tree giant. She was a stupid girl … falling in love with such a monster, and on the other hand … he was broken. A man fleeing into the department of torture and interrogation and becoming the head of said department at twenty could only be broken. She looked at her hand, remembering the shower he had given her. She then brought the hand down to the mark he had left at her neck. The scar tissue was still tender but she was somehow glad that the scar would stay. It would remind her of him as long as she lived. She really _was_ a stupid girl, but right now … it was alright to be stupid.

* * *

**Nothing big, but well ... hope you liked it either way - see what happens next =D**


	16. When the winter chrysantemums go

**Thank you for reading it up until now, please enjoy the next chapter**

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_**When the winter chrysantemums go**_

**or**

_**...**_

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He knew it was stupid, incredibly stupid even so. But, Kami if it was stupid, then it was and so was he. He didn't give a flying shit.

Ibiki Morino was often accused not to be able to feel, let alone love, but it was his job not to show any feelings and he wasn't the best for nothing. However his lollypop seemed to completely ignore that. He felt as if she had broken in and made herself comfortable inside of him.

On one hand he had to admit that it was scary – how should he know that feeling anyways – on the other hand, he was okay with that; it filled him up somehow, it made him complete.

Now what … she was gone, that's what and he didn't feel well at all. And then there was Inari still missing.

He didn't understand how he could have missed the link, or how she could have missed the link for that matter – Sakura in her 'linking mode' was almost invincible, she spit out ideas like a Kalashnikov. How could she … they not have found this link? And where was Inari in all this? Why was the woman still missing?

"SEMPAI!"

He looked up and found his "favorite" second in command rush through his door and into his office. He almost yelled then and there, to put some sense into her, but refrained from doing so in the last minute. Incredible how moody he was nowadays … when his Lolly pop wasn't around.

"What is it?"

"Inari, sempai. She's back."

* * *

_Impossible … it can't be … _

"Could you please … repeat that?" he voice was a bit … small and squeaky, but even if she had wanted to play strong now, she would have failed miserably.

"What, can't believe it, pinky?"

The fishman in front of her smirked at her rather dumbstruck facial expression, though he was a bit worried if jaws are really supposed to hang that low … He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Once we have the Kyuubi, which will not take too much time now, we will transfer the demons into you and alter your thoughts. You will be our ultimate weapon: the key of Tihatu. Now eat up, I'll come again, when you're finished."

The man made a seal, opening a hidden door and stepped out of her cell. Seconds later she was alone again. The four blank walls around her had given her the impression of a cell for an insane in the first few days. But she had soon got used to it and now sat on the ground, the shackles still around her wrists, although she had long but broke the mechanism … she made it glow when others were present, so they thought the things still worked.

Ignoring the cold food on the plate in front of her, she stared at the ceiling and watched the down-going sun paint colors on it.

_Kura …_

_**Honey?**_

_You … you knew, didn't you?_

_**Well … I kinda … yes … I kinda did … **_

_Why did you never say anything to me?_

_**I couldn't … I was supposed to watch over you … not to tell you …**_

_Why were you supposed to watch over me?_

_**The first key, Katsuhi-san, had a guide … **_

_An inner … _

_**Well … yes. **_

_So … you're my guide …_

_**Sort of … **_

_Do you … know my history? _

_**I do.**_

_Tell me, please, tell me my history … tell me what I really am._

_

* * *

_

"I see, so when he heard that Haruno was captured by the Akatsuki he let you run…"

Inari nodded silently and leaned into Kotetsu's hug. She was still a bit shook up from the encounter with the Pentagram-killer. Her brother pulled her close and towered protectively over her.

Ibiki nodded, stood up and left the room. He was incredibly grumpy … he had a time limit to get the damned information. The Rookie 9 would leave the village in 2 days and he had to give them information damn it.

They were seemingly working against the Pentagram-killer as well … What was his interest in all this? What profit would it bring him if he violated and killed the Key of Tihatu? God damn it where was the _link_?

He sat down in his office, in front of his new desk and cursed at the scroll that waited to be written upon with new information. He hadn't found shit.

_When the winter chrysanthemums go,  
there's nothing to write about  
but radishes._

Since WHEN the heck had he a voice of Sakura in his head, which was teasing him with the Haiku he had made her learn … god damn it when had he gone nuts?

Of course he knew the answer to this one: he had gone nuts the moment he had fallen for his pink-haired Lollypop … but he had gotten out of control when she had been stolen away from him. Ugh … now she had been _stolen_ away from _him_? What the hell was he thinking?

"Damn it, I'm an idiot."

* * *

She lay in her cell again, looking at the ceiling and listening to Kura, to her story. She hadn't eaten, she hadn't slept, in fear of missing a part or forgetting where they had left off. She liked listening to the stories of her family, it all sounded so … joyous, so glorious … so incredible.

Kura was incredible good at describing … more so at telling stories. She made Sakura laugh, cry and frown. In return Kura respected the young woman for being so perceptive, not disturbing her once and listening to every word, absorbing the information like a sponge.

Sakura learned quite a lot while listening to Kura, why the Jinchuukuri were drawn to her, why she hadn't been able to calm Naruto down when the fox had taken over. She listened intently, eager to know more. She ignored the voices of the men that came into her cell and told her to eat, or yelled at her. She only waved them away, staring intently at the ceiling and listening extremely close to Kura.

After two days straight Kura had finally stopped talking and Sakura had never felt that full, that satisfied and that alive. She was smiling like a madwoman, even at the white-haired man that entered her cell to give her breakfast. She ate it slowly and favored every bite.

"Finally you're fucking eating. Leader-sama already thought you'd get freaking problematic and we'd have to feed you over a fucking infusion."

Sakura only grunted at the man that leaned against the wall some steps away from her. She knew his name was Hidan, he was the sadist one, who killed his victims to get into his 'war state'.

"Say … how does it feel to be theoretically invincible?"

"It's not only theoretically, bitch. I am invincible … and it feels great." He snarled.

"Mh …" she only nodded. No one was invincible and she would find a way to make this one unable to fight and let the world alone.

* * *

Ibiki handed his report to the Hokage. He had worked through the last two days with his team to get the links finally together … and hadn't it been for Inari they wouldn't have been handing in the report on time.

It was amazing how a civilian woman had an overview on everything. The woman held every fact stored in her head and linked the facts together at all possibilities. Thanks to her they had been able to work and think clearly … not to forget the incredible strong – and therefore very helpful – coffee she could make.

The Hokage read through the information and sighed.

"Let me guess … you've been fighting with this one."

"More or less…" he admitted.

"I'm glad we know a bit more at least … By the way, Morino, I want you to go with them."

Stunned – although not showing it – he looked at her and asked: "May I know why, Hokage-sama?"

"Because … even if no one has noticed your agitation, I have … and she is your apprentice, so it's only natural that you go with them."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

He bowed curtly and was dismissed. Outside of the Hokage tower he slowed down. Agitated? He looked agitated? Already it was astounding that he looked like something … that he looked as if he was expressing feelings. Was he agitated?

Well … to tell the truth he was more than agitated … he was in a downright frenzy … inside. Did he show it? Seemingly some of it leaked through. Damn it.

At least he was able to go with the Rookie 9 on the retrieval mission. All he wanted to know was that his Lolly pop was still alive and that she was well … if her loudmouth wasn't intact by the time he got there, there would be plenty of dead.

* * *

"Leader-sama, we have news that the retrieval squad is on the move. The Kyuubi is under them."

"Perfect. Get the prisoner. They will take no longer than two days to get here. I want her to be prepared as well as the ritual. If only one thing goes wrong …"

The figure bowed and exited the office. Striding down the halls it opened a random cell, containing one Haruno Sakura, who was calmly lying on her back and sleeping.

"Get up, pinkie."

She opened her eyes immediately and stood up, turning to him. He checked on the shackles and realized that they were still intact.

"Well, pinkie. Cherish the thought of your friends, because you won't have them any longer. After we're finished with you … you'll bow to our every whim."

_**Says you, fishface…**_

_**

* * *

**_

Ibiki looked at the big group that was to get back Sakura and bit back a groan. Not only were TWO blond-and-blue-eyed-stereo-types in the group, but also the group was by far too large. The whole Rookie 9 plus him – what had that woman be thinking.

The sensei' tried unsuccessful to calm the mob. Ibiki looked at Kakashi. "May I?"

The silver-haired jonin seemed to think for a moment, before he nodded his head. Ibiki stepped in front of the sensei' and seized the Rookie up for a moment, before his voice boomed.

"SILENCE!"

Ibiki said there would be silence, and there was silence.

The special-jonin seized the pipsqueaks up which he remembered passing their tests – like always Naruto stood out. The Rookie stared at him with big eyes, clearly asking themselves what _he_ was doing here.

"This mission is meant to retrieve Haruno Sakura from the Akatsuki. For this task we will have to split up. The Kyuubi will stay with Uchiha, Hyuuga, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, Gai and Kurenai. I want that part to _stay away_."

"That's not fair!" Naruto piped up.

"Listen up pipsqueak, I'll tell you what's not fair. That pink nuisance is caught, 'cause they want you. She's been there for you … you want to go on and ruin everything? Giving the Akatsuki the ultimate weapon?"

The blond shook his head – Ibiki grunted satisfied.

"Thought so. Moving on … the rest will infiltrate the base, search out the hideout for the pink nuisance. Once we have her – we will retreat immediately. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!"

The Uchiha stared up at him defying. "If we aren't fighting, then why take us with you?"

"Easy. First of all you are back-up and secondly the Hokage wants you to go. Anything else? No … Good! We're leaving."

And leaving they were.

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**Wooot! Finally some action! What will Sakura do? Will Ibiki arrive in time? Read next to find out ;)**


	17. Winter Solitude

**Here you go, 17th chapter of the story - please enjoy it and maybe leave a review**

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_**Winter Solitude**_

**or**

**_Time is running out_**

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Kakashi saw sense in Ibiki's division of the big cell. Of course they couldn't let Naruto near the Akatsuki, wasn't that exactly what they wanted? Sticking Sasuke to the team wasn't a bad idea either – he would most likely try to break away and avenge his clan any other way and they couldn't have him destroy their plan.

Having Ino in the group meant that they had a medic as well, Neji's Byakugan would be helpful to tell them whether or not they had to be backup, and since his sensei was on the group as well the Hyuuga would never dare to lie.

Lee in the team was a survival decision – the boy couldn't use any chakra at all and would most probably lose to any of the Akatsuki; nevertheless he wasn't a jonin for nothing. Being with Kurenai allowed the team to see through genjutsu' quicker than a senbon could fly. And of course the noses of the Inuzuka ninken would smell any hidden foe.

The man had made up the perfect teams in no time and yet Kakashi felt as if he was missing something. Something very, very essential.

Ibiki was rushing through the snowy trees as if it was nothing. Of course it wasn't really a hindrance, but Kakashi had never seen the man in such a … haste. It made him think.

They reached the hideout one and a half days later. Ibiki had made them rest half a day so they would get back their strength and once again Kakashi had to admit that the man had the perfect plan.

As discussed, they broke up into two groups: The group that went with Naruto, or the "back-up group", and the group that would go into the hideout and try to get back Sakura.

"I want the back-up group to stay where they are, got it? I don't want you to intervene, until I give the signal, is that clear?"

"Hai!"

"Good. Hyuuga Neji you are asked to leave the Byakugan on so you can follow our movements and also perceive the signal at time."

"Hai."

"I will repeat our targets: get Haruno Sakura out of the hideout and make sure that the Kyuubi is not captured in any way – not even for a second – by the Akatsuki. UNDERSTOOD?"

"HAI!"

"Break up!"

* * *

_**Honey … there is one thing we still have to clear …**_

_I know, I know …_

Sakura was slightly agitated. Of course she would be able to remember everything and resist the alteration of her thoughts … but everything had its price, she had to give them something to alter, so they would think that they had landed the coup.

Since that morning she wracked her brains to find a thing. She couldn't give them her knowledge – she could still save lives with it, she couldn't give away memories … or could she? What about … no … she couldn't. She had passed her whole life training to become better, most memories she had were lessons, what about the death of her parents? No … that would be awful to live through the whole thing once again … and she was sure that her friends wouldn't have any idea at all of how to explain it to her …

Then what about … her feelings for … _him_?

_**Girl … that would hurt**_

_I know … but … _

_**But?**_

_But we can't be together anyways and … and it's not as if it is reciprocated and anyways … it's not as if I was made for love …_

_**Honey … I don't think …**_

_No, Kura. That's it … I can do good with the rest of the memories … so … I want you to give that to them … _

_**A-Alright honey …**_

_Thank you, Kura_

_**Hey, no problem honey**_

Sakura looked at the white wall in front of her, there sat two men, a blond and a red-head. She knew them, but she couldn't care right now, as silently the tears ran down her cheek as Kura silently played her the pictures that she would forget one last time.

* * *

When they separated, he had a bad feeling. It wasn't because he had to fear that the Uchihas would bring them off their real target because of a brother-battle, neither did he have to fear that blonde hot-head that was the Kyuubi vessel who would have most probably gotten caught. No, he had a bad feeling about something else, what he didn't quite understand, but it left him slightly nauseous.

_Just hold on, Lollypop. _

Soon they stood in front of the stone-gate, representing the door to the Akatsuki hideout, where they had stored their weapon. Ibiki was about to take off the tag when Tenten stopped him.

"Morino-san you know that if you rip off the tag it will hunt us down with a clone that is as strong as we are at the moment of ripping it off…" she inquired.

"I do, Tenten-san. But you all have got your chakras suppressed, now don't you?"

"Well, of course we do, Morino-san."

"Then it's good … all you have to do is release your chakra when you fight the clone." Ibiki shrugged and tore off the tag.

* * *

"Let's have a little fun with her before she goes to the altar … now won't we?"

The rest of the Akatsuki had arrived and watched Sakura cry silently and smile at the same time as Kura gave her last moments with the man she loved. She ignored the man that walked towards her, the priest, as he took out a kunai and embedded it in her shoulder.

She didn't flinch, she didn't react at all. She just blinked once and continued to cry silently. She didn't notice how the priest slowly licked her blood and started to cut her again, and again and again. But she didn't react – she listened to the scathing jokes of her sensei that were replayed in her head.

When she was beaten and bloody she finally looked up to the last man standing in front of her and looked at him with her green, big eyes that were glistening. Her lips were slightly parted and suddenly she gave the red-haired man in front of her a soft smile.

"If you want to hurt me, then you come too late." She only said.

"We don't only come to hurt you, little bird. We are here to make you scream."

"Gentlemen … not even my sensei succeeded in such a feat." She admitted and smiled again.

"And who, pray tell, is your sensei, cherry blossom?"

"Ibiki Morino."

Tobi chuckled. "Do not lie to us, cherry blossom." He cooed darkly. "We all know that Ibiki Morino doesn't take on little weak girls…"

"It's not that, sir." She smiled again. "But he too is only a human and one day he'll have to retreat one day. There aren't many that come in question as successors."

"And why you, little one?" his partner – Naruto had dubbed him _Aloe Vera_ – asked.

"Because, sir, I am still breakable. One can still break my soul and make the cruelest interrogator out of me. All the other, gentlemen, have futures. Safe for me – this is why I am to be broken and built up again."

"Too sad that you won't remember him anymore after we are really finished with you, isn't it?" The plant came forth and licked some of her blood.

"I don't think so, sirs." She smiled at him. "I think that I was lucky to have had him as a sensei. And I am sure that he would be the first to kill me, should we ever cross paths. And I am grateful for that."

"You want him to kill you, un?" the blonde – _Ino2_ – asked her.

"Of course, sir. I would never voluntarily work with you, therefore I hope that they have given up on me and kill me as soon as they see me."

"She's gone fucking nuts, guys. There's no freaking way she's still whole in there, seriously." The priest remarked.

Sakura only smiled to herself and felt the dried tears – or was it blood – crack on her cheeks. It was time to say goodbye to nice feelings like those and to dreams that could never be.

"Gentlemen …" The Akatsuki looked at her. "Am I allowed to sing a song, before I most probably forget those too?"

"Go on, hun. Just don't ruin our ears, with a squeaky voice." Konan allowed her.

_May it be an evening star  
Shines down upon you  
May it be when darkness falls__  
Your heart will be true  
You walk a lonely road  
Oh!How far are you are from home_

__

Mornie utúlien (darkness has come)  
Believe and you will find your way  
Mornie alantie (darkness has fallen)  
A promise lives within you know

_May it be the shadows call  
Will fly away  
May it be your journey on__  
To light the day  
When the night is overcome  
You may rise to find the sun_

__

Mornie utúlien (darkness has come)  
Believe and you will find your way  
Mornie alantie (darkness has fallen)  
A promise lives within you

_A promise lives within you now_

* * *

I had no idea how it all ended up in chaos. Was I really that bad in planning? No, the plan had been perfect … if those brats had known how to listen, then nothing would have gone wrong. But none of them knew how to listen. I repeat: NONE!

And this was how the damned Kyuubi got in the clutches of the Akatsuki. I don't get it – really, I don't.

I had just ripped down the tag and as we released our chakra we had immediately fought down our clones. It was rather easy. But once we were inside we were witnesses of one of the most horrible acts.

The jutsu to suck a biju out of a vessel.

There was a moment of silence, where not a word was heard …

_Winter solitude-  
in a world of one color  
the sound of wind._

… and then started the screams.

* * *

**:O OMG Sakura wants to forget Ibiki! NOOOOOO! ... and yes i simply had to have this song in here, sry**


	18. The old pond

**Tadaaaa! 18th chap - thank you very much for reading, and please enjoy reading**

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* * *

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_**The old pond**_

**or**

_**It's done**_

**

* * *

**

It was too late. Sakura could feel them coming, but she was already watching as Naruto was trapped in the combined chakra of the Akatsuki. She is sitting in a dent in the wall and looks at Ibiki as he stares at her.

She is beautiful, so incredibly beautiful, clad in nothing but white. Her skin looks like porcelain and it's then that he asks himself, why she doesn't move, but he can't move his feet and neither can the rest. He wants to scream to her, ask her why she doesn't _move_ god damn it! But she only looks at him with those incredibly beautiful, green eyes of hers.

"Lolly pop, move your ass, that's an order!" he yells in frustration, but watches in horror as she shakes her head.

"Sakura! Move!" this time it is the silver-haired jonin next to him.

She moves a hand and is immediately struck by lightning; she survives – not surprising – but she can only shake her head.

"It's a lightning prison." The Uchiha explains.

He is panicky … for the first time since his young days, Ibiki is panicky. He is helpless, he wants to do something, but he can't do _shit_. His feet are bound to the god damned floor and his Lolly pop can't move. He watches as the Kyuubi is sucked out of the blond ninja, whose body is unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

He looks at her one last time and sees her biting back her tears, chewing on her lips, but one tear slips however … and she has an apologetic look in her eyes. For a moment he asks himself, why she looks at him like that.

* * *

Naruto-kun lay on the floor and the Akatsuki were starting another chant. She knew that now it was her turn.

_Kura_

_**I got it honey … **_

_I'll be strong … I can do it … I'll be strong … for Konoha … I'll be strong …_

The mixed chakra of the demons floated in the small dent, where she was seated, it was as if she heard thousands of voices at once – as if she was going mad – and then came the greatest pain she had ever felt.

With a cry of agony she convulsed and doubled over on her hands, where she puked blood. Everything swam before her eyes.

_**Stay awake, honey, stay awake … you can do it …**_

Her head started hurting like hell and she guessed for a second that they were trying to delete her memories of Konoha, but that Kura would make sure everything was alright before the pain took over again and she gripped her head.

_Stay awake ... stay awake … stay awake … stay awake … stay awake … _

She chanted to herself, as if to drown out the chant of the Akatsuki. The voices around her wouldn't stop, they talked to her and she didn't want to hear it. She felt as if she breathed in something liquid at a moment and the voices were gone.

Pain exploded in her whole body and she screamed yet again, as a tattoo was carved on her right arm, artistic and at the same time painful and marking her for life.

The pattern on her arm glowed green once before the pain diminished and the chants slowly ebbed away. The pain was gone.

_Kura?_

_**Honey … you're still there … good girl, you did well … **_

_Can I get out of here now?_

_**You can …**_

Sakura moved an arm, finding that she was able to move freely and jumped down to the floor – out of the dent. Silence had spread and everyone was looking at her as she gracefully leaped away from the wall and landed on the ground with a soft noise of the water.

_old pond  
frog leaping  
splash_

She smiled softly and tip-toed to Naruto's limp form. He was still breathing, she noticed an immediately poured her chakra into the blond ex-Kyuubi vessel.

"Wake up, kit." She whispered and slowly the blond was opening his eyes.

"Sa-Sa-Sakura-chan …" he whispered.

"Don't make it a habit of yours old buddy, this is the second time I save your very sorry ass." She smirked.

"I have luck to have you then …" he smiled as she poured some more chakra into him and helped him to stand up.

"Cherry Blossom, come here … to your new master …" she heard a purring voice. Smirking she turned around.

"No." she only objected. "No one is my new master, no one ever was and no one will ever be a master to me. I am my own master."

There was a string of curses and a feral growl, before Sakura made a thousand seals and looked up at the Akatsuki who were still standing on the fingers of the statue.

"Bye, bye…" she sang before she molded her hand into the last seal.

There was so much blood that dripped from the scalpels, so much … material that was just torn apart. Everything went so fast, and Sakura felt so damned powerful; she just took a breath and smelled all the gore that she had just created.

Centimeter pieces of the Akatsuki 'graced' the floor and not even the obnoxious immortal was giving a comment.

"Sasuke … would you do the honor?"

"Katon: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

And in bits and pieces, the Akatsuki were going down … in a matter of mere seconds. One miscalculation … only one.

* * *

There was no reason to panic anymore. She was still loyal to Konoha, she had prooven so by taking down the Akatsuki in front of all their eyes. He couldn't come around but admire the tattoo that graced her arm. It was a simple pattern, but it made her look so much more like a warrior.

"Sakura …" The Lolly pop turned around to Kakashi and hugged him tight – Ibiki's face darkened, but he said nothing.

"How come you are still on our side? Didn't they alter your thoughts?"

"Oh they did!" Sakura smiled. "But instead of altering my loyalty to Konoha, I kinda gave them something else to alter … something less important than Konoha."

"What was it? What was it?" Naruto wanted to know.

_Bonk! _Naruto went down. "Owww … Sakura-chan … you're so mean …"

"Bakamono … how should I remember something that had been removed from my memory?"

"But that's horrible, Sakura-chan! Now you miss something and you don't even know what it is!" Naruto whined and rubbed the bump on his forehead.

"Maybe … but I think that, whatever it was, it seemed sacrifice-able … I wouldn't have given it to sacrifice if I wouldn't have remembered it …"

"Nice talk, Lolly pop … can we go back now?" Ibiki interfered.

"Oy, tree-giant I'm catching up with important people here, can't you see that?" she yelled.

"You can do that at Konoha as well and as it is, we'll have to return." The big jonin tried once again.

"Gaaah! Either all men are as ignorant as you are or it's just you! We can't travel, because Naruto still has to recover his strength, snorer!"

"You will not speak without respect to me!"

The two were so plunged into their verbal fight that they didn't realize how they came closer and closer. Ibiki was bowing over Sakura, trying to intimidate her, whereas Sakura poked his chest and glared defiantly up at him.

The rest of the group slowly backed away from them.

"Teme, do you think they are always like that?" Naruto whispered.

"Hn." The Uchiha-heir only answered.

"From what I heard …" Kakashi said quietly "… this is pretty much nothing against what they already had. You remember that he had been torturing her for 2 months … not to forget that the two fought against each other and pretty much destroyed his office …"

"Sensei … why do you know all those things …?" Naruto asked carefully.

"Anko-chan, of course." His sensei grinned as the rest of the group stared at him as if he had just gone crazy.

"STUPID OX!"

"OX? SCRAWNY WITCH!"

The group followed their movements as both of them attacked and defended themselves, throwing whatever could be thrown, splitting up whatever could be split up.

"God … one would say a whole army of shinobi …" Kurenai whispered in awe.

"Maybe … just maybe we should stop them before they really hurt each other …" Ino mused.

"Too troublesome." Shikamaru replied and lay in his sleeping bag, where he was soon snoring.

* * *

**... So, how will they continue, now that Sakura has really forgotten him and he is still drawn to her? How will Konoha fare with it? ... There's still 4 chapters to find out ;)**


	19. First Winter Rain

**Hey ya all! Very well ... this is the 19th chapter and as before I have to admit, I do not own Naruto, but I still hope you will enjoy this chapter.**

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* * *

**

_**First Winter Rain**_

**or**

_**The turnabout**_

**

* * *

**

They started their travel back in a heavy snow storm, but neither of them complained – they had to get back to the village as soon as possible. Most of the group was silent, whereas Sakura and Ibiki were fighting like cat and dog.

"YOU'RE A STUPID BASTARD! YOU COULDN'T EVEN TAKE CARE OF INARI!"

"SHE CAME BACK CONTRARY TO YOU! WHAT THE HELL MADE YOU GO WITH THAT MAN! DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER TEACH YOU THAT YOU DON'T GO WITH FOREIGNERS?"

_CRACK_

The branch where Ibiki had just been standing cracked and he almost fell down, if he hadn't reached for another branch.

"DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER, FREAKING TREE-GIANT!"

"HARUNO HOW OFTEN DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO BE MORE _DISCIPLINED_?"

"I DON'T KNOW, UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE I GUESS! I JUST HOPE IT COMES SOON DAMN IT!"

Kakashi sweat-dropped and looked at Gai, who was running next to him. The Taijutsu-master looked at the onslaught of curses and was as white as a sheet of paper. The Rookie 9 that were running just behind them matched him perfectly, seeing Sakura speak against her sensei like that – and on top of that: Ibiki Morino.

"We're being followed …" Hinata told Kakashi.

"No surprise here, those two would catch the attention of a deaf man. How many?"

"Four." The ANBU reported.

"They won't know what happened to them."

"DAMNED TREE GIANT WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO ON AND GET YOURSELF A TREE TO GET _SATISFIED_, DAMN IT!"

"DON'T YOU EVEN _START_ WITH THAT! YOU'RE STILL MY APPRENTICE AND YOU STILL HAVE TO FINISH YOUR DAMNED APPRENTICESHIP!"

"ONLY IF I WANT, GIANT!"

"YOU LITTLE INSOLENT WRENCH!"

He pinned her against a tree and held her throat. The scene was similar to him, but he wouldn't … not now. He knew that they were being followed, Sakura had signed it to him earlier. Even though the fight was not exactly _played_ – it wasn't as sincere as they said.

"That's me." She wheezed after a pause.

Now – they were close enough to get themselves killed. It were only four of them and they were so incredibly close.

Kakashi didn't understand a thing when Sakura suddenly pulled two ninja out of nowhere with only her chakra strings, while Ibiki pulled two more out of nowhere. Hadn't they just been fighting?

"Now, now …" Sakura purred. "Who do we have here?"

He watched her menacing smile, something she had surely copied from her newest sensei, who was smiling at them with the same crazed expression.

"Sound-nin." Ibiki threw her a hitai-ite. She caught it and smiled menacingly at the two nin that were now cowering in fear of her.

"I guess we'll have to get them back to Konoha to have them interrogated, now won't we … sensei?"

"Oh we will have to …" Ibiki smirked.

Sakura looked over her shoulder. "Sorry to go buddies, we have to work." She saluted to them and vanished in a swirl of petals, her prisoners with her.

Ibiki looked at Kakashi and smirked. "Best apprentice I've ever had, gotta go to work."

* * *

A puff of smoke was all he left behind as he vanished with his prisoners. Gai wiped his forehead.

"Finally they are out of range … their unyouthful mouths are very disturbing…" he whined.

Kakashi only smirked behind his mask. Even if the two of them were fighting like cat and dog, they were always working together. And somehow Ibiki was less in a haste than beforehand … Maybe she was the best apprentice he had ever had.

* * *

Back in her gray coat, her military boots, a gray medic skirt and a red tube top she quickly pinned up her hair and came out of the toilet. Ibiki was already waiting for her and they exchanged a sardonic grin as they made their way to the prisoner cells.

"Today, Lolly pop, we will start with psychological torture." Ibiki began in front of the cell. "It takes a bit longer than the usual, blunt torture, but it usually gives better results and is so much more fun."

She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"First of all it starts with getting information out of the prisoners and later research about their background. As soon as you found something, you can use it against him."

She nodded and he opened the door, showing her the first of the first sound nin. It was a woman. Sakura grinned – she already knew that one. Guren was her name. The woman grinned up at her, maybe thinking that a weak girl like her wouldn't be able to hurt her but she was already caught in Sakura's genjutsu.

Ibiki loved to watch his Lolly pop deal with the woman who was constantly getting paler whereas Sakura's grin grew wider by the minute.

He so loved to watch her.

* * *

Anko had witnessed the come-back of the pink-haired konoichi and was relieved to see that the young woman was still well up. Although the tattoo on her arm was interesting, the sugar-addict had decided not to ask her – yet.

She would also have to talk to her sempai … sooner or later. This couldn't go on like that … and then there was of course Kakashi. Ugh … if the man only _knew_ what exactly Ibiki had done to her.

She looked outside and found it raining heavily – great, just on the day where her action-accident-man would come back. Hopefully he didn't slide down a branch and break his leg.

_First winter rain-  
even the monkey  
seems to want a raincoat._

She grinned … maybe eavesdropping on Morino's lessons had had something good … all those Haiku made the day less boring.

* * *

"So that's what's it all about…" Sakura purred and lessened the grip on the woman's hair. "What a good girl you have been…"

With a quick push to a pressure point, she sent the woman into unconsciousness and nodded at Ibiki. Together the two of them went out of the cell. She leaned against the iron wall opposite of the door and took a deep breath.

"Good … no, bad in fact. Orochimaru …" she began, "Orochimaru was put back to pieces by Kabuto. I guess the duck-butt didn't kill him …" she thought for a moment, before she got into movement and stalked away. "He's arrested …" she only seethed.

"Lolly pop …" he warned and the woman stopped, stomping her foot.

"Damn it, GIANT! There is a traitor on his way to _Konoha_, the city I gave up a piece of my memory and the stupid ass most likely gave information to the damned snake-fag!" she yelled.

"I know, Lolly pop." He ground out. "But we will have to be sure. We need to pull the net real tight, before we attack…" he tried to reason.

"I give a fuck on pulling the net tight! I'm not a freaking spider! I will kick his sorry ass to the Pluto and back again!"

She stomped out of the tower, past all the jonin that were working and didn't even give a shit about the heavy rain outside. Genma looked at him.

"What exactly got her so riled up?" he asked.

"Duck-butt let the sound-medic live and the four-eyed boy pinned the snake-bastard together again … and she's pretty sure that the duck-butt knew of it."

Sakura stood at the gate with her arms crossed over her chest. Neither Izumo nor Kotetsu tried to get her away from the gate or even to get her to talk. Politely they handed her a cup of tea – it smelled like Morino's tea … spiked but good – and waited until she would feel like it to say something.

When the group came into sight, she borrowed Kotetsu's katana and walked up to them. Sasuke, meeting her look, quirked an eyebrow, but before he knew it he lay on the ground, Sakura holding his elbow to her knee and pushing forward, the katana tip against his neck.

"Stupid asshole." She seethed. "You didn't kill Kabuto."

Before he knew it, she delivered a nasty kick to his rips, where she was sure to break two, before she bound him up in chakra strings and pulled him up on his hair. He was on his knees, his head pressed firmly against her stomach and the blade of the katana against his throat.

"You, Uchiha, will pay for betraying the village a third time. You will pay for endangering the people that I love. And you will pay for every ass-wipe that you let live." She seethed, before she pulled him up and delivered him to the tower.

* * *

**Go Sakura, go! Kick his ass! ... But ... what will happen now?**


	20. The oak tree

**YAY! I hit the 20-mark =D**

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* * *

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_**The oak tree**_

**or**

_**As the situation is**_

* * *

Tsunade didn't think twice about tucking Sasuke into temporary custody. Very much to the glee of Sakura, she was also allowed to be the one interrogating him, since she was the only one who was able to resist the Sharingan in all his glory.

Ibiki was only present behind the black glass, watching her progress, along with the rest of his interrogation team.

* * *

"Tell me, Sasuke-kun …" she purred and stroke his jaw with her long fingers "Why wouldn't you kill Kabuto?"

The man in front of her was in her mercy, she could see how he struggled to get himself under control. But it was less himself that made trouble, it was his body, which was just too much enjoying it.

She smirked and led her fingers over his neck, his throat and rested it on his chest.

"Tell me … Sasuke-_koi_ …" she whispered – luring him into false illusions. "I can get you out of here, my love. The tree-giant is only that intelligent … and you know how much Tsunade trusts me. Tell me … we make up a story and get you out of here. I will bear your children and you will be able to revive your clan …" she whispered haughtily, never leaving his eyes.

"Why would you do that, Sakura-chan?" he asked her – restraining himself one last time and hoping that she would crack, but she was already this far and she knew that he couldn't stand it anymore.

She did the unthinkable. The woman slid on his lap and grind against him, before she let him take her lips in a passionate kiss.

Somewhere inside her it triggered something, this kiss. It wasn't the same like … like something. She had a comparison to something unknown, and it wasn't the same – but it was working for the Uchiha, and she was only here to get the information out of him.

"Because … I still love you, Sasuke-kun … my Sasuke-kun …" she marveled and brushed through his hair.

* * *

Ibiki was torn apart. On one hand he was incredibly proud of his apprentice, to be able to use such a 'subtle' and yet effective way, on the other hand there was only him who was allowed to touch her, then again she seemed not to remember their little fight … and most probably she had given up the memories of them.

He had already feared this; it would explain the reason why she had looked at him apologetically, it would explain why she had cried, it would explain everything. Of course she wouldn't want to hold on to memories like those.

He had never said a thing to her, the only thing that was resting them was the mark they still had on their necks – and even those could be hid easily. She wouldn't have wanted to hold on to 'them' – whatever they had been – of course.

He was the stupid 'tree-sensei', 'the snore in the forest', 'the tree-giant' … he was a monster. Of course she wouldn't want to hold on to memories like those. Although he asked himself, why she was still talking back and not backing out of the apprenticeship.

"Mitarashi!" he called.

His second in command turned to him and straightened. She was nothing like Sakura, that pink-haired woman really didn't give a shit about flying pickles.

"Control the situation, if it is escalating - interfere, I am with one of the prisoners."

His subordinate nodded and he was off.

* * *

Anko looked after her sempai and then at the woman that was seducing the Uchiha in the room before her. And for a moment, she asked herself, if not maybe she had been wrong in judging them too fast.

Sakura had slept in his arms, she had not trashed around, she had not tried to flee, and she had slept peacefully. Her sempai on the other hand, had looked like a big bear cradling a young one. She had never seen him that at peace.

She had heard of Sakura's sacrifice for the village, and she had heard of the fight of the two. It definitely differed from their fights beforehand.

Anko wasn't stupid, there was only one thing that had happened: Sakura had erased her memories together with her sempai.

To think that it would even affect her sempai already made the purple-haired woman wonder, but she knew how the medic could bring wonders into the world. But now, once she had made that human demon feel … now she didn't remember anything anymore.

* * *

He sang, he sang like a bird, telling her everything she needed to know. With a last kiss, she sent him into unconsciousness, before she left the room and looked at Anko.

"Do you have toothpaste?" she asked the second in command, who quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You should believe that he brushes his teeth, Mister Perfect that he always is. But I can tell you … it's far from that …"

"Ewww…" The TI-subordinates all pulled a face and Anko immediately yelled for help comically as Sakura made dying noises and played her death.

It all ended up in Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, Raido and Anko brushing Sakura's teeth, while said woman was giggling like crazy at the situation.

Ibiki watched the situation from farther away and could only turn away to hide the small, almost invisible tug on his lips.

He was a teacher for her, nothing more. He would stay a teacher for her. If she didn't want to remember it, then he would have to accept it.

_The oak tree:  
not interested  
in cherry blossoms._

He remembered a Haiku of Basho. That should be like it. He shouldn't be interested in her – at all. No, not he shouldn't … if he said _shouldn't_ then he admitted to himself that he was. He _wasn't_ – lying to oneself had always been the most effective way to get things out of one's head.

He wasn't interested in her – at all.

* * *

**:'( What's happening to them? How did they arrive here? You have 2 more chapters to read and find out xD (I kinda feel evil...)**


	21. First Day of Spring

**Woot - forthlast chapter =D, please enjoy**

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_**First day of spring**_

**or**

_**The mission**_

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"So, tell me, Haruno, how do you proceed?"

He walked around her chair, like a shark would swim around its' victim. He knew that this was the least pressure he could put on her, but it was the end of the day and he was careful to put her under pressure at the end of the day.

"Enter through the window, close said window after entering, proceed to walk along the wall until target is in view, check for any acute dangers, if none are present we go on to Rule 70." She replied fluently.

He stopped walking and looked at the woman splayed over the chair opposite of his, her pink hair still made her special to him, her ways of communicating with the group still made her stand out and he still held himself in the reigns.

"Satisfied, tree-giant?" she bowed her head over the lean of the chair and he watched her hair fall down as she stretched her beautiful, delicious, porcelain throat.

Damned if that woman only knew how she affected him.

"We're not done yet …" he grunted. "You should know that, Lolly pop."

"Gaahh …" she stuck her tongue out in disgust, but she got up and walked down the hallway with him.

This part was his favorite, he had to admit. He was not better than Kakashi – he often had to think. He was 14 years her senior and yet he couldn't help but like to watch her, while she was training in the steel container to get the energy of the beasts out of her.

Normally she would have done so during missions, but she hadn't gotten a single ANBU mission, since she was in his apprenticeship and she had constructed the steel container herself. Every energy she took out on the walls would be transferred into electricity and helped the village to handle their electricity.

Tonight Anko joined him watching the pink-haired woman as she jumped like a rubber ball through the four walls and let out her energy.

"Sempai …" the woman started.

He knew what she wanted to say. She had tried to say it ever since the day that Sakura had come back, but he only cut her off. "Do we have news on the snake's moves …?" he asked her instead.

He ignored the swallow of his subordinate, and followed the jumping woman in the room with only his eyes.

"We have to believe that he is ready to strike Konoha soon. Although we do not have any real proof …" she faded out.

Ibiki nodded. They had been standing before this problem for some time now, not knowing what Orochimaru was doing. Ever since the execution of the Uchiha, the only proof they had were the words that left Sakura's mouth.

"But …" his second in command wrestled with words.

Ibiki looked at her from above, using his height to intimidate her. Although he knew, that normally she wouldn't give flying frogs about it, he knew that when she was unsure of what to say it made her even more unsure. She glared at him – having realized what he wanted; she sighed.

"But the Hokage wants to send you and your apprentice on a spying mission …" she finished.

It would be an ANBU mission, no doubt and he would be alone with the Lolly pop for very, very long time. On top of that there was no way that they could banter in enemy territory – best shinobi or not. He growled … why exactly her? Agh … one was not to question the ways of a Hokage. Even if they were questionable …

"Hai …"

* * *

"Haruno Sakura and Morino Ibiki, I send you on a mission to sound. You are to infiltrate the base and get as much information as possible." The Hokage spoke quietly but with a firm voice.

"This will be a long term mission, since it will take you some years to do so, I will give you time until the first day of spring, where you are to take off. Meaning that you have exactly 22 days until you break up."

She looked up to see her daughter-in-choice directly in the eye.

"Since I want to evade certain thoughts about you, make your goodbyes … it is highly possible that you will never return from this mission …" maybe he wronged, but the voice of the Hokage seemed darker and quieter.

"You will come back in two years at the end of autumn, as far as you survive. If one of you should lose his life, the other is to retreat immediately with the information he has gained. Questions?"

He looked at his Lolly pop and saw that she was brimming with excitement for the mission, but in her eyes he could see that she was a tad bit sad … maybe because she had to leave behind her friends, her village, her mother … or maybe because she would die for this mission.

* * *

On the first day of spring the two of them stood in front of the gates. Both in their gray coats, their friends around them. Ino was crying, Naruto had a worried expression on his face, just like Kakashi – they risked to lose a second friend to the snake, Hinata cried a single tear but smiled for Sakura, and all in all Ibiki had the impression that everyone was here – and everyone was here for Sakura. Even his subordinates hugged her.

When Izumo and Kotetsu hugged her close and ruffled her hair, Genma tucked a senbon in her hair, Anko came to stand next to him and looked at the spectacle with him. Raidou played the knight in shining armor with his sword and Sakura smiled broadly.

"You know sempai, they say everyone has a second chance." She smiled at him.

He sighed and ruffled through her hair. "Take care of those numb heads … it would hurt if they'd be missing when we come back …"

"Take care of her, sempai. It would hurt if she wouldn't come back …"

He placed his hand on her shoulder and sighed. He knew that it would hurt when she wouldn't come back – and he would do everything possible to get her out of that hell there. He had a second chance thanks to this mission … but he would prefer to die before something would happen to her.

As soon as they were out of the gates, Sakura turned to him and smirked. And he just _knew_ that right now she would pester him with a Haiku … one of the many he had taught her.

_First day of spring-  
I keep thinking about  
the end of autumn._

He almost yelled an 'I knew it!' but then again, he was Ibiki Morino and so instead he just shook his head and asked himself silently, why she always used the Haiku instead of the full blown poems.

"Why are you always reciting Haiku, Lollypop?"

"Because, tree-giant, I can only remember reciting Haiku … they are short and there are Haiku for every situation."

She smiled back at her village one last time, before both of them jumped off the ground and into the trees …

* * *

**And so they left ... the end?**


	22. Song

**Very well. Dear reader, thank you a bunch for reading this story - if you have read it since the veeeeery beginning, please excuse me for the irregular uploads - it's done now, though. I hope you've enjoyed the story a lot, I liked writing it and I am sorry that I didn't come to the conclusion earlier to load it all up. With these words, I will give to you: the last chapter of "Respect thy sensei". **

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_**Song (by Seamus Heany)**_

**or**

_**Every end is a new beginning**_

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"INO-CHAN! MOVE IT! SAKURA-CHAN IS COMING BACK TODAY!"

"I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW!"

Two blonds were running down the main-lane of Konoha, darting through the crowds, big grins on their faces as they raced each other there.

On their way, they were joined by a group of friends.

"TENTEN!"

"OY, THE TWO BLONDS! RACE YOU THERE!"

"I'M FASTER THAN YOU ANYWAYS!"

"NEJI!"

"MY YOUTHFUL COLLEAGUES YOU WILL ALL EAT DUST!"

"LEE!"

"Stop!" a laughing voice commanded.

In their competition they had not realized that they had already reached the gate. They looked at the smiling gate-keepers.

"Hey, Izumo! Kotetsu!"

Another figure came running towards the gate – the beige coat floating behind her, and at her side a mop of silver hair.

"Anko! Kakashi-sensei!"

The two dropped down simultaneously and smiled at the Rookie 9 and the gate watchers. Anko was downright beaming and her boyfriend – since 2 years! – gave off an Aura of the highest satisfaction.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that they are coming back today!" Anko squealed and hugged Izumo, who laughed and swirled her in a circle, to settle her down again.

"I know, I know…"

"I am already so anxious to see how forehead changed!" Ino squealed and hugged Naruto.

"Yeah, me to. I just hope she didn't cut off Morino's head …" Anko snickered.

"She'd never do that …" a new voice interrupted. "She'd make pretty little holes in his neck with many, many senbon and then she'd just tilt it…"

"GENMA! Don't say something like that in front of the young ones!" A new voice.

"Oy, Raidou … we've heard and seen enough gore …"

Finally assembled the group settled in the watch house and made themselves comfortable, waiting for their friend and their superior to return.

* * *

Tsunade sat in her office and looked over her intertwined fingers, her nose pressed against her thumbs, her elbows supporting the weight.

She looked at the door and willed it to open.

Willed it to open and willed two persons to enter, bickering and fighting.

"Just anything so I know that they are alive…" she whispered and closed her eyes.

Since two years she made herself reproaches, thought of 'what if's' and wished that she had never sent her daughter on a mission like this.

"Of course I know that she is more than capable of this … I know it …" she whispered as if she could hear Sakura's voice, asking her with vigor if she thought that she wasn't strong enough or capable enough.

"I'm just so scared of losing you once again …" the woman whispered.

She felt as if Sakura was in the room, right now and right here, right next to her. She suppressed a sob, when she chided herself that she just imagined it.

"_Meow_" a small voice made itself noticeable and the Hokage opened her eyes, to look at a small, white tiger in front of her … with incredible green eyes.

* * *

_A rowan like a lipsticked girl.  
Between the by-road and the main road  
Alder trees at a wet and dripping distance  
Stand off among the rushes._

_There are the mud-flowers of dialect  
And the immortelles of perfect pitch  
And that moment when the bird sings very close  
To the music of what happens._

She bowed over his almost lifeless body and cried. Her slender fingers glided over his brusque features and she wished she could have prevented it.

_**There is one way, you know …**_

_The hole …_

She looked down at his tortured face and smiled one last time – they had to go after the snake one way or the other.

* * *

"Can you remember when Sakura spilled the coffee over Morino-sempai?" Anko giggled.

"Of course, because it was full of sugar!" Genma guffawed and nearly lost his senbon.

"God it will be great when they will come back…" Raidou smiled. "Even if both of them are crazy-heads …"

"Don't say that, Raidou. They could be spying on you at this very minute and sempai will make sure that you'll pay for it!" Hayate grinned.

"What an intelligent man!"

Their heads turned at the new voice and stared at the person standing in the door.

"Gate-keepers you do a pretty lousy job. An elephant could have infiltrated our village and you wouldn't have noticed it."

"HOKAGE-SAMA!"

The group jumped up and bowed to the blond woman that had just entered the gate hut. Around her feet strived a tiger pup. Naruto knelt down and held his hand towards it.

"Hey little buddy, who are you?"

"She …" Tsunade said "… is the messenger."

The tiger came close to Naruto's hand and smelled it carefully, before it ducked its head under the boy's hand.

"Messenger?"

Ino looked at Tsunade – already fearing for the worst, as the Hokage held up a scroll and opened it. Licking her lips, the Hokage started to read.

"_Dear mother, dear everyone. _

_I am writing this, with not much time. In our time as servants to Orochimaru, we realized that he possessed the scroll to a time tunnel. We feared for the worst but couldn't let it disappear because of his right hand-man, Kabuto. _

_Now it is too late, he used it to destroy Konoha from the roots on. _

_We will follow him, and take his every chance to do so. There is just one problem – the control of this time tunnel is close to zero, meaning I don't know how long we will be gone. The tunnel only serves once, so we will travel after Orochimaru and if we have prevented it, we will come back. _

_I have my sensei lying almost dead at my knees and I have to act quickly, before his soul gets too unstable to travel._

_The last thing I can do is write you these few lines, in hope that you understand that I love everyone of you. I'd like to write you a real letter, but it's not possible with the limited time. I send Kushina to you. Yes, Naruto, this little one's name is Kushina, I want you to take care of her. _

_I love every one of you, Okaa-san, this is not your fault. It is our decision and we do it, because we love Konoha, and we know that the time now is far from perfect, but it could be by far worse and I wouldn't have known you otherwise. _

_Love, _

_Sakura_"

The hut was silent, Anko already lay in Kakashi's arms and cried silently, whereas the rest of the team sat down and silently looked at their hands.

The Hokage sat down as well and took her head in her hands.

"I should have never sent them … I should have never sent them. I am so sorry …" she whispered.

Kushina jumped up the table and rubbed her head against Tsunade's purring soothingly. The woman looked up and patted the animal.

"I think everyone of us would have done the same." Naruto spoke up. "Every one of us would have taken that time tunnel to hinder Orochimaru from destroying Konoha. We will always remember Sakura until the day she gets back with her sensei and when they come back, we will be able to celebrate them as heroes and listen to their stories."

Ino took him in her arms, knowing that he spoke more for himself than for the others – he had just lost another one of his friends to the snake.

"It was only one year that those two made our life hell in the tower, but man I'd give everything to relive it again. And if it means to wait a hundred years, I'll wait a hundred years." Raidou decided.

"I feel the same as Raidou. If we are to wait, I'll wait. I'll have a reason everytime to get back to the village and to stand up every day. Until the day they come back." Genma agreed.

* * *

The woman breathed heavily.

"Sakana, you can do it. I can already see its' head. Just push!"

Screams of a woman and – minutes later – of a baby filled the room. Breathing heavily, the woman looked at the small bundle that was handed to her. She smiled at the baby.

It had immediately stilled as it felt the warm and slightly sweaty hands of her mother. The woman pulled back the cloth and looked at the little of the hair that was visible at the head of the child.

"It's a girl, Sakana."

"Pink hair …" the woman whispered and smiled. "Sakura."

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**Yes, I decided that it'd be an open ending like this - whoever has an idea to continue? I bet there are a lot =) I hope you liked the story, **

***~peace and love~* **

**chuppa-chupsz**


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